Author Archives: Yves Smith

Links 8/11/18

ECB Fears Contagion from Turkish Lira Collapse, Bank Stocks Plunge

The Turkish lira’s swan dive is causing all sorts of collateral damage.

Empires, Past and Present

Which countries fit criteria that would lead them to be classified as empires?

When Social Policy Saves Lives: Analyzing Trends in Mortality Inequality in the US and France

Mortality data from France makes a strong case for single payer.

The Unforeseen Consequences Of China’s Insatiable Oil Demand

Working through the implications of China’s ever-rising energy needs.

Asset Prices and Wealth Inequality

How asset prices have driven the evolution of US wealth inequality over the last 70 years.

Trump Is Giving Protectionism a Bad Name

A short overview of some protectionism successes.

Once Its Greatest Foes, Doctors Are Embracing Single-Payer

A critically important constituency is increasingly backing single payer.

Links 8/8/18

Richard Murphy: Writers of Labour’s “Fiscal Rule” Lash Themselves to the Austerity Mast

Labour’s economists show their Third Way colors and advocate austerity-generating policy rules that might as well have been penned by former Treasury Secretary, later Citigroup vice chairman Bob Rubin.

Michael Hudson: Life and Thought – An Autobiography

Michael Hudson discusses his life as a young Communist intellectual, how he became interested in economics and finance, his life in academia, and his recent work on rentier capitalism and debt jubilees.

Neoliberalism Drives Climate Breakdown, Not Human Nature

Attempts by the New York Times to blame humanity as a whole for climate change let the real culprits off the hook.

Links 8/7/18