Updating the Washington Consensus

Back in 1989, a few months before the Berlin Wall came down, economist John Williamson outlined what he thought was an agreed upon formula for economic growth in developing countries. Williamson, a soft-spoken English academic, presented ten principles, policy reforms intended to boost living standards in what was still called the third world.  They were: •Fiscal discipline •Pro-growth public spending •Tax reform •Liberalizing interest rates •A competitive exchange … Continue reading Updating the Washington Consensus

Failed Debate, Republicans Self Destruct

Make no mistake, Donald Trump won the November 8th Republican debate despite not being there. For the third time the former president thumbed his nose at his disheartened opponents, this time upstaging them by rallying an enthusiastic throng of Hispanics 10 miles away in Hialeah.  The two-hour NBC debate in Miami, Trump declared, was unwatchable. Trump won because none of his rivals explained to voters that even … Continue reading Failed Debate, Republicans Self Destruct

Crunch Time in Detroit

With the UAW strike in its fifth week, there’s mounting worry in Detroit about the future of the US-based auto industry, which already is at a big cost disadvantage in making electric vehicles.  Ford executive chairman Bill Ford says there is an urgent need for a settlement, that the future of the US-based auto industry is at stake.  Speaking (October 16) at Ford’s Rouge plant … Continue reading Crunch Time in Detroit