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Opinion Has It by Project Syndicate features conversations with leading economists, policymakers, authors, and researchers on the world’s most pressing issues. Tune in for biweekly analyses and insights with our host Elmira Bayrasli, Foreign Policy Interrupted co-founder and Project Syndicate contri…

Project Syndicate


    • Nov 23, 2021 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 25m AVG DURATION
    • 147 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Opinion Has It

    Trouble over Taiwan | Bonnie Glaser

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2021 32:48


    In the Sino-American great-power drama, Taiwan has taken center stage, as China has ramped up pressure on the island. How much danger is Taiwan in – and how far will the US go to defend it? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Debt Wars | Barry Eichengreen

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2021 28:34


    The unprecedented fiscal spending that many governments unleashed in response to the COVID-19 crisis has fueled an increasingly heated debate over the risks posed by public debt. But the debate is far from new, and history holds important lessons that should inform it. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    America's Afghan Debacle | Annie Pforzheimer

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2021 29:00


    The Taliban has announced its interim government, and its all-male, often-hardline makeup seems to have confirmed many observers' worst fears. Why did the US mission in Afghanistan fail, and what is in store for the country under Taliban rule? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Voting in a Time of Democratic Erosion | Francesca Binda

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2021 33:44


    While elections alone don't necessarily make a state democratic, they do offer a glimpse into the strength and legitimacy of a democracy. What can we learn from recent electoral outcomes? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Is Crypto Going Mainstream? | Sheila Warren

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2021 27:53


    After over a decade on the fringes of the global monetary system, digital currencies are increasingly being embraced by companies, governments, and citizens around the world. Are they set to become an integral part of the global monetary system? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Economic Crisis in the Anthropocene | Adam Tooze

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2021 31:45


    The COVID-19 pandemic triggered the swiftest and most comprehensive contraction of global economic activity ever. With crises set to proliferate – not least because of climate change – the successes and failures of the pandemic response should serve as lessons for governments everywhere. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    The End of the Indispensable Nation | Stephen Wertheim

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2021 34:31


    Twenty years ago, the September 11 terrorist attacks invigorated America's sense of itself as the “indispensable nation.” But its actions since then have failed to improve global security and have endangered those who it claimed to be helping. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Toward Bretton Woods 2.0? | Harold James & Paola Subacchi

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2021 36:35


    In 1971, President Richard Nixon closed the gold window, effectively ushering in a new global monetary non-system with a single pillar: the US dollar. Fifty years later, that pillar is showing signs of strain. Can the world muster the cooperation needed to manage whatever comes next? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    The US Economy's Great Adjustment | Betsey Stevenson

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2021 32:04


    With many low-paying jobs going unfilled, it seems that the COVID-19 crisis has forced a much-needed adjustment in a labor market where workers had long suffered from a decline in bargaining power. But, as pandemic-support programs end and automation accelerates, workers face serious risks. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Is It Time to Cancel the Olympics? | Jules Boykoff

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2021 28:50


    Even when the world isn't gripped by a pandemic, staging the Olympic Games can create serious problems for local populations. So, why do cities and countries keep seeking to host them?Here to help us answer this question is Jules Boykoff. Jules is an associate professor of political science at Pacific University in Oregon, and a former member of the US Olympic Soccer team. He's the author of NOlympians: Inside the Fight Against Capitalist Mega-Sports in Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Beyond. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    Is It Time to Cancel the Olympics? | Jules Boykoff

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2021 28:53


    Even when the world isn't gripped by a pandemic, staging the Olympic Games can create serious problems for local populations. So, why do cities and countries keep seeking to host them? Here to help us answer this question is Jules Boykoff. Jules is an associate professor of political science at Pacific University in Oregon, and a former member of the US Olympic Soccer team. He's the author of NOlympians: Inside the Fight Against Capitalist Mega-Sports in Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Beyond.

    The Communist Party of China at 100 | Rana Mitter

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2021 36:39


    The Communist Party of China, founded a century ago, has been in power for more than seven decades – and it has big plans for the future. What do those plans entail, and is the Party still strong enough to implement them? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

    The Communist Party of China at 100 | Rana Mitter

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2021 36:42


    The Communist Party of China, founded a century ago, has been in power for more than seven decades – and it has big plans for the future. What do those plans entail, and is the Party still strong enough to implement them? Here to help us answer these questions is Rana Mitter. Mitter is the director of the China Centre at the University of Oxford, and a professor of the history and politics of modern China.

    Merkel's Complicated Legacy | Constanze Stelzenmüller

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2021 32:15


    As German Chancellor Angela Merkel prepares to step aside after 16 years in office, Germany, Europe, and the world are entering a new, more uncertain phase – one that will be significantly shaped by her legacy. But which one? Here to help us answer these questions is Constanze Stelzenmüller. She holds the Fritz Stern chair on Germany and trans-Atlantic Relations at the Brookings Institution.

    Is the US Ready for War? | Michèle Flournoy

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2021 28:25


    Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has been the world's only superpower – a status ensured by the country's powerful military. But great-power competition is making a comeback, raising questions about US preparedness. Michèle Flournoy is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of WestExec Advisors, a co-founder and former CEO of the Center for a New American Security, and a former US under secretary of defense for policy.

    Is India’s Democracy Dying? | Milan Vaishnav

    Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2021 32:54


    Despite major challenges, India’s multicultural democracy has thrived for more than 70 years. But can it survive Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu-nationalist agenda? Here to help us answer this question is Milan Vaishnav. Vaishnav is the director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He is the author of When Crime Pays: Money and Muscle in Indian Politics.

    Special Edition: Will COVID-19 Bring Europe “Ever Closer”? | Niels Thygesen

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2021 30:44


    While critics say that the European Union has stumbled from crisis to crisis for most of its existence, its defenders counter that crises have made it both stronger and more necessary over time. As the bloc’s complex history and current challenges show, both claims are true. Niels Thygesen is an economist and an emeritus professor at the University of Copenhagen. He has spent more than a half-century observing and participating in the European integration process. As a member of the Delors Committee, he helped established the roadmap to Economic and Monetary Union, or EMU. This culminated in the introduction of the euro in 1999.

    Russia’s Not So Strongman | Timothy M. Frye

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2021 27:08


    Popular protests and a tanking economy seem to be weakening President Vladimir Putin’s position, if not threatening his grip on power. Yet Russia’s strongman leader will not go down without a fight. Joining us today to help demystify one of the world’s most prominent dictators is Timothy Frye, the Marshall D. Shulman Professor of Post-Soviet Foreign Policy at Columbia University, and the author of the new book, Weak Strongman: The Limits of Power in Putin’s Russia.

    Will the American Jobs Plan Remake the US Economy? | James K. Galbraith

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2021 30:19


    US President Joe Biden’s public-investment proposal is undoubtedly ambitious – and highly controversial. But it may also be the key to putting the US economy on the path toward a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous future. Here to help us understand the American Jobs Plan – and the debate surrounding it – is James Galbraith. Galbraith is an economist and professor of government at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also the author of Inequality: What Everyone Needs to Know.

    The Return of the Taliban | Ashley Jackson

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2021 32:20


    After 20 years and more than $2 trillion, the US is under growing pressure finally to withdraw from Afghanistan, leaving the country where it started: in the hands of the Taliban. What will this mean for Afghanistan’s people, their neighbors, and the world? Ashley Jackson is the co-director of the Centre for the Study of Armed Groups at the Overseas Development Institute. She is the author of the forthcoming book Negotiating Survival: Civilian-Insurgent Relations in Afghanistan.

    Outtakes: Do Travel Bans Work? | Jennifer Nuzzo

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2021 8:06


    This week in Outtakes, recent guest Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health and Security, explains why border closures aren’t an effective virus-containment strategy – and says what is.

    Stopping the Next Pandemic | Jennifer Nuzzo

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2021 31:26


    Even if the world does manage to end the COVID-19 pandemic, we can’t simply breathe a sigh of relief and return to business as usual. With the number of new infectious diseases rising fast, the next pandemic could be just around the corner. Jennifer Nuzzo is a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, and an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

    The Growing Threat of Far-Right Extremism | Cynthia Miller-Idriss

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2021 27:43


    With the encouragement of leaders like Donald Trump, far-right extremism has gone mainstream in recent years. To mitigate the growing danger far-right groups pose, policymakers need to deepen their understanding of how these groups recruit members and mobilize supporters. Joining this episode is Cynthia Miller-Idriss, a professor at American University. Cynthia is the director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab, and author of the new book, Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right.

    The Legacy of Egypt’s Arab Spring | Michael Wahid Hanna

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2021 25:14


    Ten years after a popular uprising overthrew a dictator, Egypt largely appears to be back where it started. Why were Egyptians’ democratic hopes dashed, and can they still be realized? Here to discuss Egypt’s situation and prospects is Michael Hanna. Michael is a senior fellow at the Century Foundation and a non-resident fellow at the Reiss Center on Law and Security.

    The Post-Brexit World Order | Timothy Garton Ash

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2021 28:53


    Just as Brexit marked the end of an era, it marks the beginning of a new one. And there is plenty of reason for both the United Kingdom and the European Union to doubt that the new era will be better. Here to discuss is Timothy Garton Ash, a Professor of European Studies at the University of Oxford and a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. He is the author of ten books, including, most recently, a new edition of The Magic Lantern: The Revolution of ’89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin, & Prague.

    US Foreign Policy after “America First” | Kori Schake

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2021 33:21


    After four years of an “America first” foreign policy, President-elect Joe Biden wants the world to know that America is back. But will Biden and his foreign-policy team be able to restore America’s global standing – and the relative stability it once provided? Kori Schake is the director of foreign and defense policy at the American Enterprise Institute. She previously served on the National Security Council under President George W. Bush, and in senior posts at the Pentagon and the State Department.

    Repairing America’s Broken Social Compact | Danielle Allen

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2020 30:41


    One issue links the political ructions and failures that have afflicted America in 2020: trust – or, rather, the lack thereof. Neither a COVID-19 vaccine nor a new president will solve this problem; only a new social compact can. Our guest today is Danielle Allen, a political theorist and classicist. She is the James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, and the author of many popular books, including Cuz: The Life and Times of Michael A.

    Could Vaccine Nationalism Prolong the Pandemic? | Tom Bollyky

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2020 31:56


    With multiple producers touting promising results in late-stage trials of COVID-19 vaccine candidates, the end of the pandemic finally seems to be in sight. But rather than work together to produce and distribute vaccine doses, some governments are taking an every-country-for-itself approach – raising serious risks not only for public health, but also for the economic recovery and geopolitical stability. Here to speak with us about these risks is Tom Bollyky. Tom is the director of the global health program at the Council on Foreign Relations, and the founder and managing editor of Think Global Health. He is the author of Plagues and the Paradox of Progress: Why the World is Getting Healthier in Worrisome Ways.

    The GOP After Trump | Sarah Longwell

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2020 28:19


    Joe Biden may have won the US election, but the vote was hardly the firm popular rebuke to Trumpism many had anticipated. What does that mean for a Republican Party that has tied itself into knots defending Donald Trump over the last four years? Sarah Longwell joins us to help us answer that question. She is the founder of Republican Voters Against Trump, and the publisher of The Bulwark, a conservative news and opinion website.

    Outtakes: Richard Pildes on Polarization in America

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2020 12:27


    Today’s US election comes at a moment of such deep polarization that many are bracing for a bitter fight over the results. In this week’s special episode, we follow up with law scholar Richard Pildes on how America got to this point, and what it means for the next administration’s ability to govern.

    Is the US Headed Towards a Disputed Election? | Richard Pildes

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2020 31:23


    Donald Trump’s repeated efforts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the upcoming election has further intensified the polarization that has increasingly defined American politics in recent years. Now, many fear a drawn-out dispute over the results. Richard Pildes is the Sudler Family Professor of Constitutional Law at New York University, and the co-author of The Law of Democracy: Legal Structure of the Political Process.

    What’s Next for Abenomics? | Kathy Matsui

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2020 28:01


    Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s successor, Yoshihide Suga, has pledged to uphold his signature economic-policy program, Abenomics. What did that program really achieve, and is it up to the task of supporting Japan’s economy through the COVID-19 crisis? Kathy Matsui is Vice Chair of Goldman Sachs Japan, and the author of a new book titled, "How to Nurture Female Employees."

    Does Inflation Matter Anymore? | Claudia Sahm

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2020 31:51


    The US Federal Reserve has announced a major shift in its monetary-policy framework: it will no longer target an inflation rate of “around 2%” at all times. What does this mean for the US economy – and the workers who make it run? Claudia Sahm joins us to discuss. Claudia is the director of macroeconomic policy at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. Previously, she was a section chief at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

    Will We Solve the Climate Crisis in Time? | Bill McKibben

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2020 24:33


    In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that the world will face worsening food crises, devastating wildfires, and coral reef die-offs unless it halves greenhouse-gas emissions within the next decade. Yet emissions actually rose in 2019, suggesting that growing public support for climate action may be too little, too late. Bill McKibben is a longtime climate activist, a regular contributor to the New Yorker, and the co-founder of 350.org.

    The End of College as We Know It? | Robert Kelchen

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2020 25:24


    When COVID-19 hit the United States in March, colleges and universities around the country quickly shifted to remote learning. But, as a new semester begins, the pandemic is nowhere near under control, and many institutions are wondering how much longer they can survive with closed or restricted campuses. Robert Kelchen is a professor at Seton Hall University and studies higher education finance, accountability, and financial aid.

    The Arrival of Kamala Harris | Julia Azari

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2020 28:55


    Joe Biden has hinted that, if he wins November’s US presidential election, he will serve only one term. However unlikely that may be, his running mate, Kamala Harris, may well be the next Democratic presidential standard-bearer – even if Biden loses in November. Julia Azari is an associate professor and assistant chair in the Department of Political Science at Marquette University. She joins us from her home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

    Outtakes: Daniel Drezner on the History of the Nation-State

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2020 5:33


    For the past week, we’ve been on VEEP watch – repeatedly checking our phones for any indication that Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for US president, was ready to announce his running mate. The plan was to discuss his choice – and the role of the vice president more broadly, in today’s episode. But as we refreshed our news feeds, our deadline for recording today’s episode came and went – and there was still no word on Biden’s VP. So that episode will have to wait until next time. In the meantime, we’re bringing back Outtakes – special episodes featuring parts of past conversation that were left on the cutting room floor. Today, that means more insights from Tufts University Professor Daniel Drezner, whom I interviewed last time about the resiliency of the nation-state, and how the COVID-19 pandemic might remake the international order.

    The COVID-19 World Order | Daniel Drezner

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2020 31:15


    For decades, globalization has been narrowing the scope of national sovereignty. Does the COVID-19 pandemic – which has highlighted, yet again, the interconnected nature of today’s most pressing challenges – augur the end of the nation-state’s primacy? Daniel Drezner is a professor of international politics at Tufts University and the author of The Toddler in Chief: What Donald Trump Teaches Us about the Modern Presidency.

    How Would Black Economists Change Economics? | Lisa D. Cook

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2020 25:16


    Just 3% of US economics PhDs were awarded to black people in 2017 – a share that has been trending downward since the mid-1990s. This week, we examine the effects of this lack of black representation on economic policy and outcomes. Lisa Cook is an associate professor in the economics department at Michigan State University.

    The End of Hong Kong? | Minxin Pei

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2020 24:26


    For over a year, China has progressively tightened its grip on Hong Kong. Its latest move – the introduction of a new security law – may spell the death of the “one country, two systems,” and thus democracy and the rule of law in the city, but at what cost to the Communist Party of China? **Minxin Pei is Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College and a non-resident senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. He is a regular contributor to Project Syndicate.

    Special Edition: America’s Dilemma Explodes

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2020 30:16


    George Floyd’s fatal encounter with the police seems to have been a tipping point in the United States. It comes at time when the pandemic has caused unemployment to skyrocket and exposed the life-and-death stakes of longstanding inequalities. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, the former director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, is Professor of History, Race, and Public Policy at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. This interview has been edited for length.

    Our Digital, No-Touch Future | Marietje Schaake

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2020 27:26


    Not even a pandemic seems to be slowing down the world’s tech giants. Companies like Facebook, Amazon, and Google may emerge as the winners of the COVID-19 crisis, but at what cost to our societies and democracies? Marietje Schaake joins Opinion Has It to discuss how Big Tech has shaped our politics and economies, and how, if left unchecked, these companies may gain unprecedented power in the wake of the pandemic. Marietje is the International Policy Director of the Cyber Policy Center at Stanford University.

    Imagining the New 9-5 | Teresa Ghilarducci

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2020 28:35


    The labor market and workplace conditions have changed dramatically in recent years – often not for the better. How will the COVID-19 pandemic change how jobs are structured in the 21st century?

    Lockdowns or Clampdowns? | Michael Ignatieff

    Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2020 25:06


    The COVID-19 pandemic has created opportunities for dictators and democrats alike to abuse government power, spurring fears that emergency measures will outlive the emergency. That danger is particularly acute in countries like Hungary.

    Is the EU the World’s Unsung Superpower? | Anu Bradford

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2020 29:16


    When it comes to commerce, where Europe leads, others follow. The reason is simple: it’s too costly for global companies not to adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to their products. Does that make the European Union a global superpower? Columbia University law professor Anu Bradford joins our podcast to discuss.

    Will COVID-19 Make Modern Monetary Theory Mainstream? | Pavlina R. Tcherneva

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2020 30:38


    From the ashes of the Great Depression, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt pushed through a raft of labor and social reforms that remade the American state and economy. We need FDR’s brand of “bold experimentation” to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

    What History Can Teach Us About COVID-19 | Frank Snowden

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2020 19:00


    COVID-19 has upended our health systems, economies, and societies, but we’ve been through this before. Yale University historian Frank Snowden says history has much to teach us about confronting pandemics.

    How to Start a Movement | Leymah Gbowee

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2020 24:02


    Liberian activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee launched a movement that toppled a dictatorship and ended a 14-year civil war. How did she do it? By bringing women into the peace process.

    Live from Brooklyn Public Library: How Democrats Can Win in 2020

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2020 33:49


    “Make America Great Again” was a powerful campaign slogan in 2016, appealing in states that mattered to voters who felt that the US economy had passed them by. Winning them over – or winning them back – will be crucial to Democrats’ chances in November’s presidential and congressional elections. In a live recording at the Brooklyn Public Library, Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz and author Anand Giridharadas discuss how to do it. **Photo credit: Gregg Richard of Brooklyn Public Library

    What Do Mainstream Economists Get Wrong About Poverty And Growth? | Abhijit Banerjee

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2020 21:41


    By focusing on practical solutions to small questions, Abhijit Banerjee helped revolutionize development economics. Now, he’s turning his focus to rehabilitating the battered reputations of economists themselves. Abhijit Banerjee is the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at MIT. In 2003, he co-founded J-PAL, the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab. He is the author of several books, most recently, Good Economics for Hard Times, co-written with Esther Duflo. In 2019, he, along with Duflo and Michael Kremer, won the Nobel Prize in Economics.

    Is it Time for Iowa to Pass the Torch? | Edward L. Widmer

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2020 27:10


    Since the 1970s, Iowa has hosted the United States’ first primary contest for US presidential nominees, often with make-or-break consequences for the candidates. But the state has come under scrutiny for its relative lack of diversity, and calls are intensifying for it to give up its preeminent position. Edward L. Widmer is a former speechwriter for President Bill Clinton. Currently, he is a distinguished lecturer at the Macaulay Honors College of the City University of New York, and a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs.

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