Articles
Articles and analyses from the INET community on the key economic questions of our time.
The Zero-Sum Economy
The anthropologist David Graeber has argued that as much as 30% of all work is performed in “bullshit jobs,” which are unnecessary to produce truly valuable goods and services but arise from competition for income and status. But the deeper problem is that more and more economic activity performs a merely distributive function.
The Rise of Hedge Fund Activism
Austerity Caused Brexit
Boycott the Journal Rankings
Ending the Wild West of Sovereign Debt Restructuring
Clear rules and sound principles for debt restructuring would level the playing field between developing countries and creditors
Reproducibility Crisis Reaches All Randomised Controlled Trials
The social and medical sciences depend on randomised control trials – though they face more assumptions and biases than commonly thought.
The Roots of Argentina’s Surprise Crisis
A change in macroeconomic policies will not be sufficient to set Argentina on a path of inclusive and sustained economic development. But, as last month’s currency scare showed, abandoning the approach adopted by President Mauricio Macri’s administration at the end of 2015 is a necessary step.
Who Says Labor Laws Are “Luxuries”?
The World Bank and IMF say developing economies can’t afford to have strong labor laws. Actually, they can’t afford not to.
Argentina’s Unseen Fragility
The Forgotten Vision of Market Socialism
200 years after Marx’s birth, a look at how two economists sought to reconcile his idea of common ownership with market mechanisms
Why We Need a Global Public Economics
Global public goods, from health to peace to security, crisscross national and social boundaries. We need a new economic theory to understand their pivotal role in the global economy.
The Hidden Network That Propelled Civil Rights in America
Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders relied on black entrepreneurs to make their work possible
Learning from MLK, the Inconvenient Hero
The vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 50 years later, and the relevance of his economic ideas today
Visions Beyond the Haunted House
Rewarding Bad Behavior: The Bear Stearns Bailout
Ten years ago when Bear Stearns crashed, the Fed decided to bail out first, ask questions later. It was a mistake that set a bad precedent.