Tag Archives: Kaushik Basu

Concentration of wealth among a few Big Tech billionaires translates into political and is anathema to democracy  COMMENT | KAUSHIK BASU | In these tumultuous times, it often feels like one shock quickly eclipses another. Before one problem can be solved, another crisis emerges. Just a few weeks ago, the war …

To eliminate it, we must first improve our understanding of its mechanisms and incentive structures COMMENT | KAUSHIK BASU | Imagine the following scenario. A political outsider wins a critical election by promising to root out corruption. Even if that is a sincere intention, upon assuming office, they will quickly realise …

To keep up with innovation in technology, policymakers must keep broad considerations in mind COMMENT | KAUSHIK BASU | Technology is changing the world faster than policymakers can devise new ways to cope with it. As a result, societies are becoming polarised, inequality is rising, and authoritarian regimes and corporations are …

Can the world avoid annual global growth falling to a three-decade low of 2.2% and remain weak? COMMENT | KAUSHIK BASU | The Spring Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund usually provide a platform for various organisations, policymakers, and commentators to reflect on the state of the …

They want their side to win not because it`ll change their lives, but because they want the other side to lose COMMENT | Kaushik Basu | The state of global politics has economists, political scientists, and political philosophers floundering. We are witnessing a level of polarisation rarely seen. From Turkey, Brazil, and …

The World Bank has just warned that a fourth debt wave could dwarf previous ones and hit emerging economies hard COMMENT | KAUSHIK BASU | Over the last decade, the world economy has experienced a steady build-up of debt, now amounting to 230% of global GDP. The last three waves …

Given the extent of globalisation’s progress we cannot simply stay in our lane and hope for the best. Project Syndicate | KAUSHIK BASU | In my book `The Republic of Beliefs: A New Approach to Law and Economics’, I was eager to demonstrate how the methods that have emerged from …

Far-right politicians like Trump and Bolsonaro have exploited frustration-fanned anger, tribalism COMMENT | KAUSHIK BASU | Jair Bolsonaro, the president-elect of Brazil, is a far-right, gun-loving, media-baiting hyper-nationalist. The fact that he would be right at home among many of today’s global leaders – including the leaders of some of the …

INEQUALITY: Unless it is confronted, social cohesion and democracy itself will come under growing threat  COMMENT | Kaushik Basu | At the end of a low and dishonest year, reminiscent of the “low, dishonest decade” about which W.H. Auden wrote in his poem “September 1, 1939,” the world’s “clever hopes” are …

It is important to recognise that data alone are not enough, common sense matters COMMENT | KAUSHIK BASU | After years of stressing the importance of evidence-based policymaking, economists have clearly had some influence on politicians. What economists now need to do is to impress upon those same politicians that citing …