Essays & News

  The IMF’s Board recently approved $1 billion in new disbursements to Argentina. The accompanying Staff Report and Selected Issues Paper are worth reading carefully — they are technically sophisticated, broadly fair to the Milei government’s achievements, and candid about the risks ahead. But they are also worth reading for a different reason: at several points, the documents’ own […]

  Personalities such as Elon Musk and big-tech founders are on the frontlines. The infrastructure, communication and disruptive technologies they create are revolutionizing the economy and society. Although in general beneficial and exciting, the developments also create envy and anxieties. Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon and publishes The Washington Post, is also reaching for the stars […]

  Dinner Speech aus Anlass der XX. Gottfried von Haberler Konferenz, Vaduz, 28. Mai 2025 Durchlaucht, sehr verehrte Honoratioren, sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, liebe Freunde. Es ist mir eine ganz besondere Freude, heute, aus Anlass der 20. Gottfried von Haberler Konferenz, zu Ihnen sprechen zu dürfen. Hierher zu kommen ist immer eine Freude. Denn […]

  In 2025, it appeared as if the defining contest of the 21st century would pit national governments against global technology companies, with the most likely outcome being an uneasy coexistence in which each side largely remained within its own sphere. Now, that equilibrium has broken, and not only in the United States. Across major democracies, the […]

  Summary A key lesson of the past century is that, where possible, the best way to protect and enhance the environment is to make use of free-market mechanisms to align commercial incentives with environmentally beneficial goals. Yet governments usually prefer to use command-and-control mechanisms to impose environmental targets for all environmental issues. Their reasoning […]