Alain Enthoven on Ryan's Medicare Plan
The Republican's indexation formula is too severe, says the pioneer of "managed competition" and authority on health-care economics, but the basic idea is sound More »
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Clive Crook is a senior editor of The Atlantic and a columnist for Bloomberg View. He was the Washington columnist for the Financial Times, and before that worked at The Economist for more than 20 years, including 11 years as deputy editor. Crook writes about the intersection of politics and economics. More
Crook writes about the intersection of politics and economics.
The Republican's indexation formula is too severe, says the pioneer of "managed competition" and authority on health-care economics, but the basic idea is sound More »
The government says it will shut down its nuclear power industry by 2011 and promises to reduce carbon emissions at the same time More »
In Madrid on Monday I moderated a discussion on global finance organized by the Aspen Institute Espana. The speakers were Paul Volcker, Agustin Carstens (head of the central bank of Mexico, and a candidate to succeed Strauss-Kahn at the IMF), and Henrique Meirelles (until recently head of the central bank of Brazil, now in charge of preparations for the Rio Olympics). In due course I might be able to post a link to a recording. Meanwhile, three things struck me… More »
My column for the Financial Times this week is on the complaint that the National Labor Relations Board has brought against Boeing. The aircraft maker is accused of trying to punish and intimidate the machinists' union by opening a new factory in South Carolina, a right-to-work state. The rationale for the complaint seems very muddled. The law lets Boeing put new plants where it likes, and the firm can cite lower labor costs as a reason--but, according to the… More »
Martin Feldstein argues that Greece must (a) default and (b) take a leave of absence from the euro. Neither will be easy to arrange, but it is difficult to say what the second course even means. The design of the debt restructuring that everybody thinks is coming will be important. Angelo Baglioni argues for a "leveraged buyback". This would involve Greece buying back its debt using money borrowed from European Financial Stability Facility--with the crucial… More »
Incarceration is the great American exception. The rest of the world contemplates the US prison system with disgust; here, it arouses surprisingly little controversy. You would expect American progressives to be far more exercised about it than they are. They are properly concerned about prolonged detention of terrorist suspects and the treatment of leakers of official secrets such as Bradley Manning, but apparently not much worried about criminal-justice… More »
Republicans started a fight over Medicare, and in this week's special House election, they lost it More »
The next head of the IMF is expected to be Christine Lagarde. Europe's leaders are converging on this appointment and if the US goes along the deal will be as good as done. Lagarde is a reasonably well-qualified candidate but this choice, guided by the desire to perpetuate the arrangement under which a European heads the Fund and an American the World Bank, is a mistake. Moises Naim powerfully makes the case against an outrageous dispensation. He detects the stench… More »
Deference to the politically powerful is a hideous trait, not least when it leads to a code of silence (de facto or de jure) about improper conduct. I can see why Americans are pleased that Strauss-Kahn has been denied the privileges of rank that France would no doubt have accorded him. On the other hand, you have to wonder what the presumption of innocence is worth in a case like this in the United States. Press and television are tirelessly laying out… More »
The US and Britain have a natural alliance based on a close alignment of interests and values. But that is all it is. More »
Washington is still blithely unconcerned about the debt-ceiling. It has come to something when people are discussing different kinds of default, as though some might be a salutary experience. The likeliest outcome, I argue in a new column for the FT, is that a way will be found to swerve around the problem. But swerving around a problem rather than solving it is a funny idea of success. More »
What the GOP is losing, as the Indiana governor decides not to run for president in 2012 More »
In my view the ex-MIT, ex-IMF, ex-World Bank and current governor of the Bank of Israel would make the best choice to replace Dominique Strauss-Kahn More »
I was mystified by the instant reaction claiming to see a bold new departure. I haven't been paying close enough attention, I thought. But if Jeff finds it puzzling, I'm reassured. More »
Everything from "Why American needs Israel" to "DSK did not lead the IMF that well" More »
A major setback for fiscal politics, as Sen. Tom Coburn withdraws from the bipartisan coalition More »
He clashed with Paul Ryan over Medicare. He voiced support for individual mandates. How can he win with Republicans in 2012? More »
Why the job market feels so dismal. Edward Lazear, WSJ. A clear account of how jobs turn over in a healthy economy. The problem now is not layoffs but the slow pace of hiring. US housing starts drop in April. Shannon Bond, FT. "Homebuilder confidence has stalled at extremely low levels." See also: Rent or buy. David Leonhardt, NYT. With prices depressed, is buying a house now a good investment? Maybe--depending on where you live, your appetite for risk and your… More »
