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J. Bradford DeLong

J. Bradford DeLong

Writing for PS since 2002
255 commentaries

J. Bradford DeLong, Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and the author of Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century (Basic Books, 2022). He was Deputy Assistant US Treasury Secretary during the Clinton Administration, where he was heavily involved in budget and trade negotiations. His role in designing the bailout of Mexico during the 1994 peso crisis placed him at the forefront of Latin America’s transformation into a region of open economies, and cemented his stature as a leading voice in economic-policy debates.

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  1. The Mystery of US Interest Rates
    delong258_Kevin DietschGetty Images_interest rates us Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

    The Mystery of US Interest Rates

    Mar 14, 2024 J. Bradford DeLong asks why market rates and expectations are far from what almost anyone would have anticipated five years ago.

  2. What Is the Fed Thinking?
    delong257_ Win McNameeGetty Images_fed Win McNamee/Getty Images

    What Is the Fed Thinking?

    Feb 5, 2024 J. Bradford DeLong worries that the central bank is keeping monetary policy too restrictive for the macroeconomic situation.

  3. The Fed’s Remarkable Feat
    delong256_Tom Williams-PoolGetty Images_powell Tom Williams/Pool/Getty Images

    The Fed’s Remarkable Feat

    Dec 22, 2023 J. Bradford DeLong argues that the US central bank has managed to humble hawkish and dovish critics alike.

  4. The Attention Economy Goes to Court
    delong255_Beata ZawrzelNurPhoto via Getty Images_google Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    The Attention Economy Goes to Court

    Nov 9, 2023 J. Bradford DeLong examines the arguments being put to the test in the antitrust case against Google.

  5. America’s Broken Civic Bargain
    delong254_ Samuel CorumGetty Images_january6riot Samuel Corum/Getty Images

    America’s Broken Civic Bargain

    Sep 28, 2023 J. Bradford DeLong worries that Republicans have abandoned one of the core principles that sustains a democracy over time.

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  1. bp immigration Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images

    The Immigration Tinderbox

    In the United States and Europe, immigration tends to divide people into opposing camps: those who claim that newcomers undermine economic opportunity and security for locals, and those who argue that welcoming migrants and refugees is a moral and economic imperative. How should one make sense of a debate that is often based on motivated reasoning, with emotion and underlying biases affecting the selection and interpretation of evidence?

  2. arezki19_MARCO LONGARIAFP via Getty Images_senegalelection Marco Longari/AFP via Getty Images

    Senegal’s Election and Africa’s Future

    Rabah Arezki considers what Bassirou Diomaye Faye's presidency could mean for one of Africa's most closely watched democracies.
  3. disparte5_ Kevin DietschGetty Images_FSOC Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

    America Must Lead on Crypto Regulation

    Dante Alighieri Disparte

    To maintain its position as a global rule-maker and avoid becoming a rule-taker, the United States must use the coming year to promote clarity and confidence in the digital-asset market. The US faces three potential paths to maintaining its competitive edge in crypto: regulation, legislation, and designation.

    urges policymakers to take decisive action and set new rules for the industry in 2024.
  4. gul6_Hasan MradDeFodi Images via Getty Images_ghannouchi Hasan Mrad/De Fodi Images via Getty Images

    Rached Ghannouchi’s Plight Deserves More Attention

    Abdullah Gül decries the prosecution and imprisonment of Tunisia's widely respected avatar of Islamic democracy.
  5. okonjoiweala27_GIUSEPPE CACACEAFP via Getty Images_WTO13ministerialconference Giuseppe Cacace/AFP via Getty Images

    WTO Reform Is Everyone’s Responsibility

    Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

    The World Trade Organization’s most recent ministerial conference concluded with a few positive outcomes demonstrating that meaningful change is possible, though there were some disappointments. A successful agenda of reforms will require more members – particularly emerging markets and developing economies – to take the lead.

    writes that meaningful change will come only when members other than the US help steer the organization.
  6. bloomberg7_Chris HondrosGetty Images_UScaloriesmenu Chris Hondros/Getty Images

    What Can Stop the Shortening of American Lives?

    Michael R. Bloomberg shows how a loss of public trust in public-health professionals is undercutting US life expectancy.
  7. roach163_ROBERTO SCHMIDTAFP via Getty Images_mikegallagher Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

    American Sinophobia

    Stephen S. Roach warns that fear has driven US policymakers to level a litany of unsubstantiated charges against China.
  8. kabubomariara2_Gerald AndersonAnadolu Agency via Getty Images_motherkenya Gerald Anderson/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

    Africa’s Prosperity Depends on Achieving Gender Equality

    Jane Kabubo-Mariara outlines steps policymakers can take to redistribute unpaid domestic work among households and communities.
  9. lacroix2_ Michael GonzalezGetty Images_texasUSflags Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images

    Texas and the Perpetual Crisis of American Federalism

    Alison L. LaCroix highlights the constitutional threat posed by the state's attempt to impose its own immigration policy.

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