The Wealth and Poverty of Nations
François Bourguignon on fifty years of economic development and the elusive quest for sustained growth
An interview with introduction by Brian Snowdon
Volume 9, Number 3, 2008, pages 123 - 176
François Bourguignon was Chief Economist and Senior Vice President, Development Economics, at the World Bank before taking up his current position as Director of the Paris School of Economics. He is one of the world’s leading economists in the field of economic growth and development, in particular ... Read more
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Three Cheers for the 'Progressive State'
Ben Friedman on the moral consequences of economic growth
An interview with introduction by Brian Snowdon
Volume 9, Number 1, 2008, pages 97 - 146
Ben Friedman is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading macroeconomists. His research and publications have focused on monetary and fiscal policy, and the key role that financial markets play in influencing how macroeconomic policies impact on aggregate economic activity. Professor Friedman’ ... Read more
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Exploring the Present Through the Past
Claudia Goldin on human capital, gender and the lessons from history
An interview with introduction by Brian Snowdon
Volume 8, Number 4, 2007, pages 61 - 124
Claudia Goldin is one of the world’s leading economists and economic historians, and has made a series of outstanding and original contributions particularly to the cliometric (or ‘The New Economic History’) literature. In this interview, Professor Goldin discusses with Brian Snowdon (who first prov ... Read more
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The Power of Ideas
Joel Mokyr on the intellectual origins of the Industrial Revolution and modern economic growth
An interview with introduction by Brian Snowdon
Volume 8, Number 3, 2007, pages 53 - 110
Joel Mokyr is one of the world’s leading economic historians, known internationally for his numerous publications on the history of technology and the Industrial Revolution. He has also written extensively on demographic issues and Irish economic history. In this interview, Professor Mokyr discusses ... Read more
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Russia at the Crossroads
Padma Desai on transition, reform, and the legacy of Yeltsin’s ‘kamikaze crew’
An interview with introduction by Brian Snowdon
Volume 7, Number 2, 2006, pages 11 - 71
To set the interview in context, Brian Snowdon first traces out some important landmarks in twentieth-century Russian/Soviet Union history. In the conversation that follows, Professor Desai gives her views on a number of key issues relating to the decline of the Soviet system and problems of Russia’ ... Read more
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The Enduring Elixir of Economic Growth
Xavier Sala-i-Martin on the wealth and poverty of nations
An interview with introduction byBrian Snowdon
Volume 7, Number 1, 2006, pages 73 - 130
“I think that the most important question that an economist can ask is, What is it that makes a country grow? More than anything else it is economic growth that affects human welfare…this is why it must remain a major research interest for economists.” In this interview Xavier Sala-i-Martin—w ... Read more
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A Global Compact to End Poverty
Jeffrey Sachs on stabilisation, transition and weapons of mass salvation
An interview with introduction by Brian Snowdon
Volume 6, Number 4, 2005, pages 11 - 68
Brian Snowdon presents the text of a two-hour interview conducted with Jeffrey D. Sachs of Columbia University—a wide-ranging discussion relating to Professor Sachs’s work over the past thirty years on macroeconomic stabilisation, the economics of transition, and several important issues in the fiel ... Read more
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The Influence of Political Distortions on Economic Performance
The contributions of Alberto Alesina
An interview with introduction by Brian Snowdon
Volume 5, Number 4, 2004, pages 91 - 136
Alberto Alesina is the Nathaniel Ropes Professor of Political Economy and
Chairman of the Department of Economics at Harvard University. In this
interview he discusses with Brian Snowdon his views on several important
contemporary issues, including politics and the business cycle, budget deficits ... Read more
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Explaining the ‘Great Divergence’
Daron Acemoglu on how growth theorists rediscovered history and the importance of institutions
An interview with introduction by Brian Snowdon
Volume 5, Number 2, 2004, pages 83 - 130
Daron Acemoglu is Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. In this interview he discusses with Brian Snowdon some of his
recent research findings that confirm the key role played by ‘good’ and ‘bad’
institutions in determining the economic performance of countries. He ... Read more
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Beyond the Ivory Tower
Stanley Fischer on the economics of contemporary global issues
An interview with introduction by Brian Snowdon
Volume 5, Number 1, 2004, pages 67 - 114
Stanley Fischer had a long and distinguished career as an academic economist at
MIT, and was Vice President, Development Economics and Chief Economist at
the World Bank, before becoming First Deputy Managing Director of the
International Monetary Fund in 1994. He is now President of Citigroup
In ... Read more
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Back to the Future
Jeffrey Williamson on globalisation in history
An interview with introduction by Brian Snowdon
Volume 4, Number 4, 2003, pages 95 - 138
Jeffrey Williamson is a leading authority on the economic history of the
international economy. His interests cover a wide area within the field of
economic history and include research on international economic development,
the industrial revolution, industrialisation and de-industrialisation, t ... Read more
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In Search of the Holy Grail
William Easterly on the Elusive Quest for Growth and Development
An interview with introduction by Brian Snowdon
Volume 4, Number 3, 2003, pages 51 - 92
Having conducted extensive research in the field of economic growth and
development, William Easterly has broad knowledge and expertise on the
problems facing developing countries. While working for the World Bank, he
travelled extensively in Africa, Latin America and Asia, and is well placed to
... Read more
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From Socialism to Capitalism and Democracy
János Kornai on the trials of socialism and transition
An interview with introduction by Brian Snowdon
Volume 4, Number 1, 2003, pages 33 - 71
János Kornai is generally regarded as the world’s leading scholar on socialist
economic systems. In this interview, Professor Kornai discusses the evolution of
his thinking on the political economy of the socialist system, its characteristics,
reform, transition and future. ... Read more
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Should We Be Globaphobic About Globalisation?
Dani Rodrik on the economic and political implications of increasing international economic integration
An interview with introduction by Brian Snowdon
Volume 3, Number 4, 2002, pages 147 - 192
Dani Rodrik is best known for his work on international economics, trade policy,
the institutional foundations of economic development, and the political
economy of economic policy reform. Much of his recent research has been
concerned with the limits and consequences of international economic
i ... Read more
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James Tobin, 1918–2002
An interview with introduction by Brian Snowdon & Howard Vane
Volume 3, Number 3, 2002, pages 121 - 160
Professor James Tobin, who died on 11 March 2002, was possibly the most eminent
of the world’s ‘Keynesian’ economists. Described by Nobel Laureate Paul Samuelson
as “the archetype of a late-twentieth century American scholar”, Tobin was
without doubt one of the most influential economists of his ... Read more
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The Ups and Downs of Capitalism
Ben Bernanke on the ‘Great Depression’ and the ‘Great Inflation’
An interview with introduction by Brian Snowdon
Volume 3, Number 2, 2002, pages 125 - 170
Ben Bernanke is a leading macroeconomist who has contributed extensively to
the literature on business cycles, monetary policy, the role of financial markets in economic fluctuations, inflation targeting and the economics of the Great Depression. He is one of the six economists who form the NBER Bu ... Read more
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In Praise of Historical Economics
Bradford DeLong on growth, development and instability
An interview with introduction by Brian Snowdon
Volume 3, Number 1, 2002, pages 59 - 100
Professor Bradford DeLong is a leading macroeconomist and economic historian,
and is best known for his work on economic growth, business cycles, finance and
issues relating to international economic history and globalisation. However, his interests and publications cover a vast range of issues an ... Read more
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Championing Free Trade in the Second Age of Globalisation
Jagdish Bhagwati on trade, democracy and growth
An interview with introduction by Brian Snowdon
Volume 2, Number 4, 2001, pages 53 - 104
Professor Jagdish Bhagwati is without question one of the world’s leading
economists and an authority on the principles and practice of foreign trade. In his extensive research over the past forty years he has made seminal contributions to trade theory and policy, public finance, the new political ... Read more
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Redefining the Role of the State
Joseph Stiglitz on building a ‘post-Washington consensus’
An interview with introduction by Brian Snowdon
Volume 2, Number 3, 2001, pages 45 - 86
An interview with introduction by Brian Snowdon
Professor Joseph Stiglitz is without question one of the world’s leading
economists. In his extensive research he has made seminal contributions to the
analysis of the economic consequences of incomplete information and
uncertainty. This wo ... Read more
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Keeping the Keynesian Faith
Alan Blinder on the evolution of macroeconomics
An interview with introduction by Brian Snowdon
Volume 2, Number 2, 2001, pages 105 - 140
This wide-ranging discussion takes in the development of macroeconomics and the influence of ideas and events on that development, the nature and causes of the Great Depression, Keynesianism, lessons from the high-inflation period of the 1970s, the role of macroeconomic policy, and the idea of the ‘ ... Read more
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The International Economic System in the Twentieth Century
An interview with Barry Eichengreen
Brian Snowdon
Volume 1, Number 3, 2000, pages 39 - 60
This wide-ranging discussion takes in globalisation, the causes of the Great Depression (and the likelihood of future recurrences), the Marshall Plan and post-war European recovery, growth in the 1950s and 60s followed by the problems of the 70s, and the strengths and weaknesses of the current inter ... Read more
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