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Robert Skidelsky

Robert Skidelsky

Writing for PS since 2003
216 commentaries

Robert Skidelsky is a member of the British House of Lords, Professor Emeritus of Political Economy at Warwick University, and the author of a prize-winning three-volume biography of John Maynard Keynes. He began his political career in the Labour party, was a founding member of the Social Democratic Party, and served as the Conservative Party’s spokesman for Treasury affairs in the House of Lords until he was sacked for his opposition to NATO’s 1999 bombing of Kosovo. Since 2001, he has sat in the House of Lords as an independent. He has also served as a non-executive director of the American mutual fund Janus (2001-11) and the private Russian oil company PJSC Russneft (2016-21). He is the author of The Machine Age: An Idea, a History, a Warning (Allen Lane, 2023).

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  1. The Language of Political Control
    skidelsky200_Getty Images_speech Getty Images

    The Language of Political Control

    Apr 19, 2024 Robert Skidelsky views recent linguistic innovations as manipulative efforts to compel “correct” thought and perception.

  2. Post-Capitalist Pessimism
    skidelsky199_In Pictures Ltd.Corbis via Getty Images_capitalismprotest In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images

    Post-Capitalist Pessimism

    Mar 21, 2024 Robert Skidelsky laments the absence of a redemptive political vision adequate to the public's growing economic disillusionment.

  3. The UK Labour Party’s Green-Energy Debacle
    skidelsky197_Leon NealGetty Images_UKgreen Leon Neal/Getty Images

    The UK Labour Party’s Green-Energy Debacle

    Feb 19, 2024 Robert Skidelsky explains why the threat of climate change outweighs the risks of increased public spending.

  4. Robert Skidelsky on Keynes, AI, the future of work, and more
    mmuniz2_Malte MuellerGetty Images_AIrobot Malte Mueller/Getty Images

    Robert Skidelsky on Keynes, AI, the future of work, and more

    Feb 6, 2024 Robert Skidelsky argues that the best way to secure supply chains is peace, highlights three grave risks posed by artificial intelligence, challenges the notion that science and religion should be regarded as opposites, and more.

  5. Britain’s Post Office Scandal and the Rule of Law
    skidelsky195_ Dan KitwoodGetty Images_post office Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

    Britain’s Post Office Scandal and the Rule of Law

    Jan 18, 2024 Robert Skidelsky explains why Western countries are finding it increasingly hard to address official misconduct.

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  1. Project Syndicate

    Trump’s Plans for the Fed Would Revive 1970s-Style Inflation

    Maurice Obstfeld

    Former US President Donald Trump, whose preference for lower interest rates and a weaker dollar was evident during his first term, is reportedly planning to override the Federal Reserve’s independence if he returns to the White House in 2025. The result would be a toxic inflationary cocktail.

    thinks the presumptive GOP nominee’s policies reflect an outdated understanding of the economy.
  2. adebajo5_Getty Images_southafricaelection Sean Gallup/Getty Images

    Mandela’s Heirs Face Their Biggest Election Test

    Adekeye Adebajo explains why the African National Congress could lose its 30-year monopoly on power.
  3. dalmia1_DIBYANGSHU SARKARAFP via Getty Images_bjp DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images

    What Explains the BJP’s Rise?

    Gaurav Dalmia

    Why are there such high expectations for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in India’s ongoing parliamentary election? Simply put, the party is far better organized than its rivals, and its leader, Narendra Modi, is undeniably the most charismatic Indian prime minister in recent memory.

    ennumerates the reasons why the ruling party has come to dominate the country’s electoral landscape.
  4. zhang66_STRAFP via Getty Images_chinaelectricvehicles STR/AFP via Getty Images

    Why China Provides Evidence for Optimists and Pessimists Alike

    Zhang Jun explains why rigorous, evidence-based assessments of the economy's performance can diverge sharply.
  5. marin27_Sean GallupGetty Images_afd Sean Gallup/Getty Images

    The Zero-Sum Logic Fueling the Rise of Germany’s Far Right

    Dalia Marin thinks that promoting economic growth remains the most effective antidote to nativist sentiments.
  6. velasco147_Tomas CuestaGetty Images_argentinapesos Tomas Cuesta/Getty Images

    Argentina’s Inflation Paradoxes

    Andrés Velasco asks whether President Javier Milei's administration can sustain its initial economic-policy successes.
  7. buruma213_Stephanie KeithGetty Images_palestine college Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

    The Privileged Gaza Protesters

    Ian Buruma argues that fear of losing rank could be driving students to demonstrate their intersectional bona fides.
  8. krueger54_ Anna MoneymakerGetty Images_CHIPS Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    What Mission-Driven Government Means

    Mariana Mazzucato & Rainer Kattel correct common misconceptions about a particular form of state participation in the economy.
  9. haldar33_Sean GallupGetty Images for Burda Media_kahneman Sean Gallup/Getty Images for Burda Media

    The Psychologist Who Convinced Economists that to Err Is Human

    Antara Haldar reflects on the pioneering work and legacy of one of the world’s most influential social scientists.

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