The West has significant leverage with Russia even with modest sanctions. On the other hand, the EU countries have the ability to carry on without Russian energy with modest costs. This is not the time to appease Putin again. This is the time to stand up to Putin and use a strong bargaining position to bring peace to Europe and protect global security.
Massive economic sanctions are needed to bring Putin to the negotiating table
So far, sanctions on Russia have been imposed in a piecemeal manner in response to atrocities in Ukraine: A leveled city in Ukraine is followed by a new tier of sanctions on Russia. Apparently, this approach has not deterred Putin from escalating the war. Only massive economic costs that bring on popular unrest in Russia will bring Putin to serious peace negotiations.
Stop the corruption of Russian money
In the new reality where Russia invaded Ukraine and threatens a nuclear attack on other countries, it is important to understand how far the tentacles of Russian money extend in the West. It is equally important to identify stashes of dirty Russian wealth to limit the ability of Putin’s regime to fund his aggressive war in Ukraine.
Why we need a no-fly zone over Ukraine
To close the skies over Ukraine, not a single shot needs to be fired. Instead, the idea is to provide a credible threat of deterrence. If Russian military planes know that they will be shot down for violating the no-fly zone, then they will not fly over Ukraine’s land.
Putin’s war and its economic and geopolitical realities
Putin’s means of keeping Western liberal democracy at bay isn’t just to invade Ukraine. It’s also to stoke division inside the West by fueling racist nationalism in Western Europe and the United States. In this, Trump and Trumpism continue to be Putin’s most important ally.
Solidarity Forever! A Mexican Labor Victory benefits Mexican, U.S. and Canadian Workers
Workers at the General Motors plant in Silao, Mexico won a surprise victory Feb. 2. Tired of rockbottom wages and substandard working conditions, they voted in an independent union and rejected a corrupt and compliant one. Their victory could also prove to be very positive for U.S. and Canadian workers and set the stage for building labor solidarity across borders.
Addressing the structural foundations of homelessness in the Bay Area
Ending homelessness in the Bay Area will require a strong commitment at all levels of government, including the political will not only to address the immediate crisis of people living on the street, but also to change the underlying structural conditions that create housing insecurity for (extremely low-income) households.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Tools for building a resilient society
How do we Build a Resilient Society? Presented on Oct 22, 2021, Barcelona Spain at LaSalle Universitat Ramon Llull on the occasion of of my investiture as a Doctor Honorus Causa The Challenge We are in the vortex of a revolution. Technology is a relentless rising tide that pushes us to adapt and revise how … Continue reading »
The so-called ‘labor shortage’ is actually a living-wage shortage
You might say American workers have declared a national general strike until they get better pay and improved working conditions.
Why UC Berkeley — not Harvard — is America’s top college
Forbes’ No. 1 ranking underscores that private universities are often engines of wealth inequality
On The Road Again – The AAEA Meeting in Austin
Between August 1st and 4th, I attended the annual meeting of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) in Austin, Texas. This was the first time in two years that I attended a live conference, and it was much more enjoyable than I expected. Four hundred and fifty members of the association were present, … Continue reading »
Balancing depleted budgets on the backs of kids…let’s not do it
By Sylvia Allegretto, Emma Garcia & Elaine Weiss. Blog originally posted by the Economic Policy Institute. As Congress debates the appropriate amount of investments needed to boost the economic recovery from the COVID-19-induced recession, we can learn a lot by carefully looking at the decisions made in the aftermath of the Great Recession of 2007–09. … Continue reading »
More vaccines, less economic suffering are key to a return to normalcy
In January, my nephew Judah informed me that he planned to get married this year and told me that he will time the wedding so I could participate. I arrived in Israel to join the wedding last week, after being vaccinated in late February. Israel is now in transition to a post-pandemic reality, as most … Continue reading »
Sports, Economics, and Politics
I’ve loved sports since I was young. My parents were both religiously traditional and not well off, so taking me to watch professional sports events on the Sabbath wasn’t an option. In high school, I got a job at a nearby basketball arena so I could watch professional basketball games. After I finished setting up … Continue reading »
Trump is history. America’s future is now in Biden’s hands
Trump has left Republicans badly fractured and on the defensive. The party is imploding. Big business no longer has a home in the crackpot GOP. This political void is allowing Biden and the Democrats, who control the White House and both houses of Congress, to respond boldly to the largest social and economic crisis since the Great Depression.
The real reason Republicans oppose Biden’s big COVID relief plan
Let’s be honest. The real reason Republicans don’t want Biden’s plan is they fear it will work. This would be the Republican’s worst nightmare: All the anti-government claptrap they’ve been selling since Ronald Reagan will be revealed as nonsense.
Trickle-down economics are a cruel hoax. Invest in infrastructure, education and public health
Politicians rarely want to raise taxes on the rich. Joe Biden promised to do so but a closely divided Congress is already balking. That’s because they’ve bought into one of the most dangerous of all economic ideas: that economic growth requires the rich to become even richer. Rubbish.
The U.S. wealth gap was appalling before the pandemic. Now, it’s worse
The divvying up of the “wealth pie” portrays a picture of profound inequality. In 2019, the Top 1% held one-third of all wealth. The next 9% controlled another 38%. Together they make up the Top 10%—a small group with a very large slice (71%) of the wealth pie. This left less than one-third (29%) to … Continue reading »
If you support racial equality, push for doubling the federal minimum wage
If America’s contemporary leaders are serious about reducing racial inequality, they must push for simple, bold measures, such as doubling the federal minimum wage. Otherwise, the country may miss an opportunity, after the largest protests for racial equality in U.S. history, to improve the lives of millions of people of color.
The virtues of virtual higher education
The COVID-19 crisis thrust the US higher education system into virtualized instruction, essentially overnight. Despite the limitations inherent in online education — including the revenue impact on institutions from reduced tuition — it brings students both access and scalability. Further, the combination of online and in-person education into “blended learning” can extend the reach of higher education, without compromising efficacy as a number of academic studies have shown.