Joseph E. Stiglitz

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Joseph Stiglitz (2019)

Joseph Eugene "Joe" Stiglitz (born February 9, 1943 in Gary , Indiana ) is an American economist and professor at Columbia University . He was Chief Economist of the World Bank from 1997 to 2000 and President of the International Economic Association from 2011 to 2014 . Stiglitz is a representative of New Keynesianism and received the Alfred Nobel Memorial Prize for Economics in 2001 for his work on the relationship between information and markets together with George A. Akerlof and Michael Spence .

Life

Origin / education

Stiglitz comes from a Jewish family; his father was an insurance agent, his mother a teacher. First he studied mathematics , then economics . He graduated from Amherst College with a BA in 1964 , then received his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he met Robert M. Solow and Paul A. Samuelson .

During a research stay at the University of Cambridge , he became friends with Joan Robinson and Nicholas Kaldor .

Another research stay in Nairobi made him familiar with the economic problems in developing countries .

Employment

At Yale University he was professor of economics from 1970 to 1974 , then at Stanford University (1974-1976, 1988-2001), the University of Oxford (1976-1979) and Princeton University (1979-1988).

In 1997 he moved to the World Bank as chief economist . Disagreements over their course led to his resignation in 2000.

He is currently a professor at Columbia University in north Manhattan and also teaches at the French elite universities École polytechnique and Sciences Po Paris .

Honors

He was appointed a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and u. a. the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1983), the National Academy of Sciences (1988), the British Academy (1993) and the American Philosophical Society (1997).

Important sideline jobs

In 1993 he became a member of the Council of Economic Advisers to US President Bill Clinton , whose Council presidency he held from 1995 to 1997.

In 1995 he was a lead author on the IPCC's Second Assessment Report . Stiglitz heads the Brooks World Poverty Institute at the University of Manchester , chairs the Committee on Global Thought at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, and founded the Initiative for Policy Dialogue in July 2000.

In 2008/2009, Stiglitz headed the Commission of Experts on Reforms of the International Monetary and Financial System ( Commission on Financial Reforms ), convened by Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann , President of the General Assembly of the United Nations , which made recommendations for reform in 2009 of the international financial system.

In 2008, Stiglitz took over the chairmanship of a working group to improve the measurement of economic performance and social progress. This working group was an initiative of French President Nicolas Sarkozy . The final report of the Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi Commission was presented in September 2009 and is intended to provide impetus in the areas of national accounts , environmental indicators and the measurement of quality of life and sustainable development .

He is co-founder of the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET) , which was founded at the end of October 2009 to develop new approaches to economics.

Stiglitz was a member of a committee to review the Panama Papers and reform Panama's financial sector , but ended his membership in early August 2016 after it became known that the Panama government intended not to publish the final report because of undesirable results.

Private life

Stiglitz has three children. Since 2004, he has been married to Anya Schiffrin , who works in the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and directs the journalism program there.

Research and Works

overview

He became known to a wider public through his book The Shadows of Globalization , a sharp criticism of the policies of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and the United States Treasury . Stiglitz has also emerged as a critic of economic policies and other measures taken by the US administration under George W. Bush .

A leading researcher in microeconomics , he was also best known as the author of the book Whither Socialism? (“Wohin Sozialismus?”), In which he presents theories on the failure of socialism in Eastern Europe , the role of asymmetrical information in the markets and misconceptions about the importance of the free market in a capitalist market economy . The role of asymmetric information is also a focus in Stiglitz's other microeconomic research. Due to the great role played by different information and externalities, equilibrium situations that correspond to the Pareto optimum hardly arise without further intervention in the market . The theory of rational expectations is the opinion of Stiglitz too much, for from reality. B. the behavior of people in financial markets. Although it contributed to the explanation of some facts, he criticized how universally the theory is applied.

In his work Die Roaring Nineties, in which Stiglitz restricts himself almost exclusively to an inventory and critical examination of the US economy (e.g. Enron ), he recommends state intervention in the market. But Stiglitz also referred to the German economy and suggested a state demand policy, a Keynesian concept.

The opportunities of globalization

In The Chances of Globalization , Stiglitz judges the current form of globalization as negative, as in The Shadows of Globalization . In contrast to some other globalization critics , however, he does not see globalization in itself as bad, because he hopes “that we can organize globalization in such a way that it lives up to its promises”. For him, this primarily includes fighting poverty in developing countries.

In the book, Stiglitz focuses primarily on the economic aspects of globalization and only in the final chapter on its central political aspects. He draws up a list of “the most important elements of a reform package”.

  • The main demand of Stiglitz is a change of voting rights at the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank , since the developing countries are underrepresented and the USA as the only member of the IMF has a de facto veto right . In addition, the representation has to be changed so that not only the finance and trade ministers determine the decisions in the committees. In addition, representatives of “the least developed countries, small agricultural exporters and so on” must be represented in negotiations.
  • Another demand is the reform of the system of world currency reserves, which is doomed to fail with its focus on the US dollar in the form of treasury bills (t-bills). The increasing debt will mean that the US dollar will have to permanently lose its function as a world reserve currency. Other currencies, probably the euro, would replace this function, but only ever solve the problem of the consumption deficit until they collapse.
  • The lever of this problem is the "irresistibility of cheap loans for politicians" in the form of treasury notes. The solution consists in the introduction of a "world dollar" which has to be spent by an "institution under the leadership of the international community" according to social standards. "This one initiative could do more than any other to make globalization a real success story." A similar line of thought can be found, as Stiglitz notes, with John Maynard Keynes .
  • The working methods of the international institutions must also be improved. Among other things, he calls for more openness, since these "institutions are less transparent than the democratic governments of their member states."
  • Further demands are "improved rules for resolving conflicts of interest", "broader say", "increasing the ability of developing countries to participate genuinely in decision-making" and "increasing the accountability" of international institutions. Here he criticizes the fact that although evaluations are carried out, this is carried out by employees of the IMF or the World Bank. "Rather, this task should be entrusted to the United Nations ." Furthermore, Stiglitz calls for an independent global court and better enforcement of international legal norms.

So that globalization can create prosperity for everyone, Stiglitz calls for a new global social contract that includes, among other things, a fair trade order. Developing countries should have "access to knowledge" and inexpensive life-saving drugs. “Their traditional knowledge must also be taken into account”. The industrialized countries would also have to keep their promise to give 0.7% of the gross domestic product to development aid.

Position on free trade

Advice to European countries

In the 1990s he wrote that rich countries in North America and Europe should abolish all tariffs and quotas on goods from developing countries.

He now recommends that European countries control their trade balance with Germany through import / export certificates (a protectionist measure). Following the Keynesian theory, he explains that trade deficits destroy the country's economy in favor of the surplus countries: John Maynard Keynes pointed out that countries with surpluses exert a "negative externality" on their trading partners and lead to weak aggregate global demand. Stiglitz writes: "Germany's surplus means that the rest of Europe is in deficit. And the fact that these countries import more than they export contributes to the weakness of their economies". For example, it does not believe in the principle of comparative advantage, which says that the trade deficit is not important because trade is mutually beneficial. International trade would therefore not be a "win-win treaty", but a zero-sum game: Loss-making countries are impoverished in favor of surplus countries.

He also asked the euro, which is said to have caused this deficit: "The euro system means that Germany's exchange rate cannot rise compared to other euro members. Should the exchange rate rise, Germany would have greater export difficulties and would be on the basis of strong exports At the same time, the rest of Europe would export more, GDP would rise and unemployment would fall. "

Advising the USA

He deplores the attempts by the United States to protect its industrial jobs through protectionist measures. He advises the United States to follow the principle of comparative advantage, pursue free trade or globalization, and not fight deindustrialization through tariffs.

He writes that "history is irreversible", that "the problem is not related to globalization itself but to the way we have dealt with it" and that "protectionism [...] of the economy as a whole will not help ". Jobs are being destroyed faster than they are created: There may even be fewer jobs in net processing. "

He writes that the middle class in the United States is indeed the loser in globalization and China is the winner. He believes China's domestic demand is sufficient to grow vigorously and foreign trade is no longer necessary. But he defends China's trade surpluses with the United States, believing that China will respond "with strength and intelligence" and hit the United States "where it hurts economically and politically" if it tries to protect its industries. 

Stiglitz's position on the financial crisis

In March 2009, Stiglitz criticized the Barack Obama administration for its plan to resolve the banking and financial crisis . It is much worse than a nationalization of the banking system , namely "substitute capitalism - the privatization of profits and the nationalization of losses". He also spoke of socialism for the rich .

At the beginning of 2012 he summed up the situation in the USA as follows: “2011 will be remembered as the year in which many of the otherwise optimistic Americans began to lose hope. (...) The savings of those who lost their jobs in 2008 or 2009 were depleted by 2011. The unemployment benefit was also over. Firms are not hiring fast enough to keep up with the numbers who would normally enter the job market. And the 50-year-olds have little hope of ever getting a job anyway. (...) Over seven million American families have lost their homes. ”He added:“ Of course, it is possible that the US could solve its political problems and finally reduce unemployment to six or seven percent with the help of stimulus measures (…). But that is just as unlikely as the possibility of Europe realizing that saving alone will not solve the problems. The opposite is true: frugality will only cool the economy down faster. If there is no growth, the debt crisis - and the euro crisis - will only get worse. And the protracted crisis that started with the bursting of the housing bubble in 2007 and the recession that followed will continue. ”He called for more progressive taxation to reduce injustice and increase aggregate demand and employment at the same time; but fears that politics and ideology will not allow any of this.

Stiglitz's position on the climate crisis

In the discussion about global warming and the climate crisis , Stiglitz expressed himself as a supporter of a climate tariff to protect states, such as the European Union, from dumping by importing products from states with little effort in climate protection.

Publications

Collective edition
  • Selected Works of Joseph E. Stiglitz. Oxford University Press (in six volumes)
Essays
Interviews

literature

Filmography (selection)

  • Fire in the Blood , directed by Dylan Mohan Gray, India 2013
  • Når boblene brister , directed by Hans Peter Moland; Norway, USA, Greece 2012
  • Four Horsemen , directed by Ross Ashcroft, GB 2012
  • All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace , directed by Adam Curtis , GB 2011
  • Moderne slaveri , directed by Tina Davis, Thomas Robsahm, Norway 2009
  • A Better World - Nobel Prize Winner Joseph Stiglitz , directed by Jacques Sarasin, France 2009
  • The End of Poverty? , Directed by Philippe Diaz, USA 2008
  • The big sale , directed by Florian Opitz , Germany 2007
  • Where Is the World Going, Mr. Stiglitz? , Directed by Jacques Sarasin, France 2007
  • Pas assez de volume! - Notes sur l'OMC , directed by Vincent Glenn, France 2004
  • Géraldo: À qui profit le profit? , Directed by Patrice Barrat, Shay J. Katz, France 2002

Web links

Commons : Joseph Stiglitz  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Footnotes

  1. Alvaro Cencini, Macroeconomic Foundations of Macroeconomics , Routledge, 2012, ISBN 978-1-134-38224-8 , p. 42
  2. ^ A b c Philip Plickert: Joseph Stiglitz: Kassandra of the financial crisis . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . October 6, 2008.
  3. a b Website of Joseph Stiglitz: Curriculum Vitae ( Memento of May 13, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 382 kB)
  4. European Academy of Sciences and Arts: Nobel Prize Winners ( Memento from July 19, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  5. Bruno Kreisky Prize for the Political Book Prize Winners 1993-2018 , renner-institut.at, accessed December 1, 2019
  6. ^ Nobel-Winning Economist to Testify in Children's Climate Lawsuit . In: Insideclimatenews , July 11, 2018. Accessed July 15, 2018.
  7. Brooks World Poverty Institute: Joseph Stiglitz ( Memento of December 23, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  8. ^ Committee on Global Thought: Committee Members
  9. ^ Initiative for Policy Dialogue: IPD Key Individuals - Joseph Stiglitz . See also: Initiative for Policy Dialogue on Wikipedia
  10. United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service: NGO Consultation on the Commission of Experts on Reforms of the International Monetary and Financial System with Final Report (PDF; 353 kB) and Summary (PDF; 286 kB)
  11. Commission on the Measurement Of Economic Performance and Social Progress: Members ( Memento of October 2, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  12. Olaf Storbeck: George Soros: Million attack on established economics . In: Handelsblatt . November 3, 2009
  13. Prominent experts leave the Panama Committee , Zeit Online , August 6, 2016, accessed August 7, 2016
  14. See Gregory Palast : The IMF's Four Steps to Damnation . In: The Observer . April 29, 2001 (alternative version: The Globalizer Who Came In From the Cold . October 10, 2001; in German translation: The accusations of the former chief economist of the World Bank make one peek )
  15. ^ The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2001 , Joseph E. Stiglitz - Biographical
  16. Bruce C. Greenwald & Joseph E. Stiglitz: "Externalities in Economies with Imperfect Information and Incomplete Markets", Quarterly Journal of Economics 90, May 1986, 229-264. ( PDF; 2.96 MB ( Memento of May 13, 2011 in the Internet Archive )), p. 229
  17. There is no invisible hand , The Guardian, December 20, 2002
  18. The opportunities of globalization. P. 335.
  19. The opportunities of globalization. P. 349.
  20. The opportunities of globalization. P. 350.
  21. The opportunities of globalization. P. 334.
  22. The opportunities of globalization. Pp. 307-334.
  23. a b The opportunities of globalization. P. 351.
  24. The opportunities of globalization. P. 352.
  25. The opportunities of globalization. P. 354.
  26. ^ Joseph Stiglitz - A Dangerous Man, A World Bank Insider Who Defected. August 14, 2013, archived from the original on August 14, 2013 ; accessed on November 2, 2017 .
  27. A Critical Issue Addressed to Joseph Stiglitz. Retrieved November 2, 2017 .
  28. ^ A b Joseph Stiglitz: Reform the euro or bin it | Joseph Stiglitz . In: The Guardian . May 5, 2010, ISSN  0261-3077 ( theguardian.com [accessed November 2, 2017]).
  29. ^ Roger Lowenstein: Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz Says the Euro Needs Big Reform . In: The New York Times . August 16, 2016, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed November 2, 2017]).
  30. ^ A b Joseph E. Stiglitz: Trump's Most Chilling Economic Lie . In: The Hive . ( vanityfair.com [accessed November 2, 2017]).
  31. ^ Joseph E. Stiglitz: Op-Ed Contributor - Obama's Substitute Capitalism . In: The New York Times . March 31, 2009. German translation: Economic crisis: Obama's substitute capitalism ( Memento of April 11, 2009 in the Internet Archive ). In: Frankfurter Rundschau . April 7, 2009.
  32. Joseph E. Stiglitz, in a contribution to Project Syndicate , America's Socialism for the Rich , June 8, 2009
  33. Joseph E. Stiglitz: 2012 could get worse ( memento of January 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive ). In: Financial Times Germany . January 22, 2012
  34. Dagmar Dehmer: Climate tariffs do not help . In: Tagesspiegel . September 27, 2012 ( tagesspiegel.de [accessed December 27, 2019]).
  35. Review: Joseph Stiglitz: "The innovative society" Have the limits of growth been reached? Hannah Bethke , Germany Radio Kultur, November 16, 2015