My research on “Democracy and Economic
Reform” suggests that transitions to mass electoral democracy often have net positive implications for national economic
management, particularly over the medium term. This is contrary to much commonly-accepted wisdom.
My research on "Global Governance" convinces
me of the critical links between participation in international governance structures and the distribution of risks and rewards
in the international economy. Consequently, I am skeptical of blame-the-victim analyses of international
poverty and financial contagion.
I doubt that the most pressing international
challenges of the 21st Century—global warming, maintenance of a mostly-open world trading system, managing
security conflicts in Asia and the Middle East, and addressing global inequalities in a sustainable way—can be met by
interstate consultations limited to participation by the major wealthy industrial democracies, the G-7, even with the addition
of Russia. Only solutions negotiated with the active cooperation of countries such as Brazil, India,
China, South Africa, and Indonesia will be sufficiently legitimate to hold.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I am
committed to the goal of economically informed analysis of the emotive issues of global justice and equity—and
equally convinced of the necessity of politically informed debate on ostensibly "technical" subjects such as the structures,
institutions, and rules of the international financial architecture.
Here is my c.v., listing my degrees, experience, and past publications:
