Clive Crook



Profile:


Full name: Clive Crook

Area of interest: 'Political Economy' - the intersection of politics and economics

Journals: Financial Times | National Journal | The Atlantic

Email: [mailto:clive.crook@gmail.com clive.crook@gmail.com] | [mailto:ccrook@nationaljournal.com ccrook@nationaljournal.com]

Website: FT.Com / Clive Crook

Blogs: FT.com / crookblog | The Atlantic / Clive Crook blog

Agent: Leigh Bureau

Networks:



Biography:
Education: Bolton School; Magdalen College: Oxford; London School of Economics

Career:
 * Official in HM Treasury - prepared speeches/briefing for ministers, including the chancellor, was assistant to Sir Terence Burns, (Treasury chief economic adviser)
 * The Economist 1993/2005: Washington correspondent, economics correspondent, economics editor, Economist deputy editor; moved to US in 2005

Current position/role: FT: Chief Washington Commentator

also writes for:
 * National Journal (info): Columnist
 * The Atlantic Monthly (info): Senior editor

Other roles:

Other activities:

Disclosures:

Viewpoints/Insight: Global inequality and The Economist: a reply to James Galbraith - response to James Galbraith's  charges that The Economist was misleading its readers over the impact of globalisation on social inequality

TV/Radio: 'Above Namibia' Narrated photo essay from his journey to the Namibian 'Skeleton Coast'

ControversyCriticism:

Awards/Honours: Youngest ever winner of the Harold Wincott senior award for for financial journalism

Other: Spent five years as part-time consultant to the World Bank(info) and primary editor of the Bank’s annual World Development Report



Books & Debate:

 * The Economist economics OCLC14222938, with Rupert Pennant-Rea, 1986
 * Eastern Europe in transition OCLC36061002, with Daniel Franklin, 1990
 * Globalisation: making sense of an integrating world: reasons, effects and challenges OCLC49894682, 2002
 * An apology for capitalism? (contributor) OCLC83594675, 2004

Latest work:

Speaking/Arrearances:

Current debate:



Financial Times:
Column remit: US political and economic issues, public policy

Section: Comment

Role: Chief Washington commentator / associate editor

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:clive.crook@gmail.com clive.crook@gmail.com]

Website: FT.Com / Clive Crook

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Monday

Regularity: Weekly

Column format:

Average length: 850 words


 * also writes Washington Blog



Articles: 2011

 * growth is not a race to the moon'' - Lack of fiscal specifics was the biggest failing in State of Union - 31st January
 * good speech for another day'' - Barack Obama’s speech was fine in its way, but the timing was wrong - 26th January
 * must woo business to win'' - What Barack Obama needs to do to revive his presidency - 24th January
 * daft way to tackle America’s debt'' - The GOP made rash promises about cuts in public spending and borrowing - 17th January
 * tries a Clintonian swerve'' - The president and his party have reached a critical moment - 10th January



Articles: 2010

 * US centrists: no ideas, few fans and no label'' - The middle needs an ideology too. Without one, it is empty - 28th December
 * signs that America’s gloom is lifting'' - Business leaders are feeling more cheerful lately, and with reason - 20th December
 * must talk to the country'' - Tax move was badly explained – the president’s message must be far more deliberate and consistent - 13th December
 * must force the parties to co-operate'' - Both sides are less interested in the next two years than in the elections of 2012 - 6th December
 * talking and start taxing carbon'' - A carbon tax would be simple, transparent and economical in bureaucratic overhead - 29th November
 * paralysed, diminished America'' - Clive Crook asks when – or whether – US influence will bounce back - 22nd November
 * Obama should curb the deficit'' - Will the US president see a plan to cut public borrowing as political poison and hide? - 15th November
 * can cut a deal on taxes'' - Republicans and Democrats, intent on differentiating their positions, are exaggerating their distance from each other - 8th November
 * government reveals America’s indecision'' - Republican victory shows US voters undecided over how to fix their country’s most troubling problems - 3rd November
 * can blame the whining left'' - If the Democrats do as badly in the midterms as seems likely, the US left will have played a big role in its own downfall - 1st November
 * reform weighs down Obama'' - Democrats should have campaigned for health reform. Instead, they ran away - 25th October
 * dramatic turn in West Virginia'' - Clive Crook reports on a treacherous strategy in the Senate race - 18th October
 * to get tough with China'' - This weekend’s IMF meetings made no real progress on the issue of currency policy - 11th October
 * will rebuke Washington itself'' - Angry and even despairing, the US is about to vote for paralysis - 4th October
 * from the centre, Mr President'' - The row over the Bush tax cuts perfectly illustrates Obama’s strategic blindness - 27th September
 * with little sympathy for US'' - Make no mistake, a Tea Party takeover would ruin the Republicans’ electoral prospects - 20th September
 * have failed to muffle the banks'' - Obscured by politics and special pleading, the financial regulations are still not enough - 13th September
 * are facing a drubbing'' - The question is how the party of Barack Obama ever came to be in this mess - 6th September
 * falls to the Fed to fuel recovery'' - The Federal Reserve must resume quantitative easing - 30th August
 * missed chance to quell the fanatics'' - The mosque debate needed a stronger Obama - 23rd August
 * Hillary be a better co-pilot?'' - Some are advising Barack Obama to ditch Joe Biden as vice-president and put the secretary of state on the ticket - 16th August
 * has to cut – and raise taxes'' - Spending cuts alone are not enough - 9th August
 * must break his tax promise'' - The US is risking a dangerous gridlock over repealing Bush’s tax cuts - 2nd August
 * on carbon is down the drain'' - Avoiding this subject is paralysing not just climate policy but fiscal sustainability - 26th July
 * has angered the centre and the left'' - The economy is struggling and the US president’s political judgment is at fault - 19th July
 * president under business attack'' - Barack Obama has not been unkind to business, rather the opposite - 12th July
 * long and the short of fiscal policy'' - Maintain or add to stimulus for the time being, plan to reduce the debt once America’s economy strengthens – this laughably simple prescription is evidently beyond both branches of government. Where is Barack Obama’s leadership? To get its way on short-term stimulus, the White House needs to talk seriously about long-term budget policy - 5th July
 * disarray is the least of the G20’s sins'' - Trade and bank capital rules are more important – but there is even less unity on these issues - 26th June
 * of hand is not the best reform'' - A US House-Senate conference has started work on merging the chambers’ respective financial reform bills - 21st June
 * should back down over BP'' - Brits more than Americans need to be careful - 14th June
 * mud sticks, unfairly, so can oil'' - Barack Obama’s White House is accused of bungling - 7th June
 * security strategy falls short'' - America’s new national security strategy is neither a strategy nor particularly new - 1st June
 * job losses in America'' - Unemployment in the US is high not just by its own past standards but by international standards - 24th May
 * bankers get with the politics'' - We must rethink the central banks' relationship with the law - 17th May
 * has good reason to worry about Greece'' - The tiny economy threatens to explode the euro - 10th May
 * great pretence that crosses borders'' - US immigration policy does not divide politicians from each other, it sets politicians as a class against voters - 3rd May
 * triumph leaves voters cold'' - Everything is going Barack Obama’s way – everything except voters - 26th April
 * and Europe meet midway'' - There are many different Europes. What if America should converge on the wrong one? - 20th April
 * search of a moderate Republican'' - Ideologically the GOP is shrinking even as it gains popular support - 12th April
 * must not gamble on the renminbi'' - Sacrificing co-operation for an empty gesture on China’s currency policy would be mad - 5th April
 * throws out the political rules'' - Elated Democrats feel they have the upper hand - 29th March
 * financial reform ignores wider terrain'' - A consensus is emerging, but international co-operation is necessary to make it work - 22nd March
 * needed reform descends into farce'' - Are defenders of the Democrats’ approach to healthcare reform optimists, or self-deluding fantasists? - 15th March
 * for America, as far as it went'' - The stimulus helped – but should have helped more - 8th March
 * the pragmatist must prevail'' - His split personality – leftist convictions combined with a consensus-seeking temperament – threatens to cripple the presidency - 1st March
 * gets ready to risk it all'' - Democrats face a huge gamble over healthcare reform - 22nd February
 * running to stand still'' - Abuse of Senate rules is not the problem. Rather it is the Democrats’ failure to carry the public - 15th February
 * and the politics of No'' - The opposition party has unity, but few solutions - 7th February
 * can square its fiscal circle'' - The question to ask voters is not whether they want guaranteed health insurance, which they do, and higher taxes, which they do not. It is whether they are willing to pay higher taxes for guaranteed health insurance - 1st January
 * Obama can reset his presidency'' - The Obama presidency is not dead yet. The midterm elections are 10 months away, and a lot can happen. If the economy revives, voters will come round. Barack Obama can still recover – but he must show he understands what has gone wrong. Early signs are that he does not - 25th January
 * ways to punish a banker'' - ‘We want our money back, and we’re going to get it,’ said Barack Obama, announcing his levy on financial institutions. Tough talk, and good politics. But anger is a poor basis for policy – especially when combined with a misunderstanding of the issues - 18th January
 * Obama must learn from the bomb plot'' - The Christmas day plot was the Obama administration’s first close encounter with a domestic terror spectacular. Its handling of the scare left something to be desired. Many of the complaints made against the president were unfair, and some were ridiculous – but Mr Obama’s team gave critics good material - 11th January
 * the crisis around the corner'' - If the financial crisis continues to ease, there is a danger that politicians will relax and minds will wander from the need for new financial rules - 4th January



Articles: 2009

 * real missed opportunity in Obama’s first year'' - He could never live up to the hype - 28th December
 * honest case for a bungled healthcare reform'' - It is delusional to suppose that America could significantly widen access to healthcare at no net public cost. The overriding consideration should be achieving security of coverage as quickly as possible - 21st December
 * the public on climate change'' - It is not enough for climate scientists and environment ministers to go to Copenhagen and tell each other how right they are. They also need to convince the public - 14th December
 * can still remould America'' - The president needs to be as frank and methodical about domestic spending as he was in discussing the costs of fighting in Afghanistan. Then, he must grasp the nettle of tax reform - 7th December
 * Obama can write a new social contract'' - The task could hardly be more demanding. Having made his decision, the president must get the country behind it. Pledging to ‘finish the job’ within a fixed period and then pull out – the obvious way to sugar the pill of escalation – would do both - 5th December
 * is Obama’s biggest test'' - The task could hardly be more demanding. Having made his decision, the president must get the country behind it. Pledging to ‘finish the job’ within a fixed period and then pull out – the obvious way to sugar the pill of escalation – would do both - 30th November
 * is Obama’s biggest test'' - The task could hardly be more demanding. Having made his decision, the president must get the country behind it. Pledging to ‘finish the job’ within a fixed period and then pull out – the obvious way to sugar the pill of escalation – would do both - 30th November
 * risky trial that offers little reward'' - The decision to try Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four other alleged 9/11 conspirators in a civilian court in New York City, rather than before a military commission in a far-off place involves a needless risk - 23rd November
 * dream needs repair'' - The great virtue of this book – a comprehensive policy manual and the outline of a new social contract – is not just in recognising that upward mobility is less than it should be, but is in calling for action, and in insisting on fiscal discipline - 16th November
 * has lost sight of the centre'' - Last week’s elections went badly for the Democrats. Victory in New York was the exception – unless Democrats expect their opponents to field two warring candidates in every seat. The Republican party is leaderless and incompetent, but not insane – and not, by the way, as divided as the Democrats. For the Republicans the New York loss was salutary, and the lesson inescapable: unite or lose - 9th November
 * misses the point of reform'' - More than a year after the US financial emergency went critical, the underlying causes have yet to be addressed. When it comes to improving financial regulation, the crux of the matter, there has been a lot of talk – usually about the wrong things – and next to no action - 2nd November
 * is dithering on Afghanistan'' - Mr Obama must choose a strategy on the war in Afghanistan and persist with it – and to persist with it he must sell it to the American and Afghan people and to the rest of the world. Delay and indecision will make that harder - 26th October
 * a bill is just a start for healthcare'' - One thing this bill will not do if passed is end the controversy over US healthcare. The argument over paying for it would become more intense: while the bill conforms to Obama’s demand that it be ‘deficit-neutral’, for the most part it only pretends to deal with the costs - 19th October
 * is too early to laud Obama – or to be disappointed'' - The president’s wisest course was to have turned the prize down, saying he had not had time to accomplish the things he wanted to. Accepting the world’s praise for having done nothing looks vain and is not without risk - 12th October
 * American polity blinded by rage'' - In the coming years, the US has enormous challenges to face – not least, like Britain before it, the trauma of relative economic decline. Right now, its polity looks unfit to cope. “A house divided against itself”, said Abraham Lincoln, “cannot stand” - 5th October
 * with the banks while they are down'' - With an economic recovery under way, the finance industry’s reticence, such as it is, will disappear – as that happens, the G20 governments must stick together in facing down the pressure for a less onerous bank capital regime - 21st September
 * is never too early to fear inflation'' - Is it too soon to worry about rising prices? Inflation hawks have been speaking up in the US lately, but are not getting much of a hearing. “The economy is still limping, job losses are still rising, and consumers are still reluctant to open their wallets. So it’s the perfect time to worry about inflation?” asks the New Yorker’s James Surowiecki incredulously in a recent column - 14th September
 * make or break speech for Obama'' - Despite the heat that the public-option debate is generating, resolving it may not be the key to getting moderates behind both his healthcare project and his presidency. His broader political difficulties arise from his leaning left on so many other policies - 7th September
 * is now Obama’s war'' - Victory will be impossible without greater expense of lives and money, withdrawal involves great dangers and, to complete the president’s quandary, his rationale for fighting does not convince - 31st August
 * to sever healthcare constraints'' - The White House has tripped up over healthcare reform – an initiative that the US both wants and needs, and which was at the centre of Barack Obama’s stunningly successful election campaign. The administration has no one to blame but itself - 24th August
 * took wrong turn on health'' - Despite independent analysis, the president is continuing to insist that control of costs is the principal reason for embarking on reform. This is worrying moderates, the very people whose support is needed to bring about change - 17th August
 * Obama will have to raise taxes'' - During his run for the White House, Barack Obama promised that taxes would not rise for families making less than $250,000 a year. The biggest worry is not that the president will break his word on taxes, but that he will try to keep it - 10th August
 * Republican healthcare paradox'' - Taxing employer-provided insurance would help transform the system, pushing people out of insurance tied to jobs. But how can the US opposition advocate this, and promise that those happy with their (mainly employer-provided) coverage will see no change - 3rd August
 * is failing on health reform'' - If the legislation does go down to defeat, it will not be because of Republican opposition, but because of disaffected moderates. Mr Obama must devise a health reform capable of appealing to the centre, and be the president the US thought it was electing - 27th July
 * rocky road for the fiscal stimulus'' - The best thing for US confidence would have been an even bigger short-term stimulus married to a credible plan to bring the deficit under control. It is not too late for the second part, but on this the administration is failing abjectly - 20th July
 * cheers for US health reform'' - The already broad consensus that some kind of comprehensive health reform must pass continues to strengthen – indeed, Barack Obama has staked his presidency on it, Even those who oppose elements of the bills concede that something must be done. Almost certainly, something will be - 13th July
 * reaches the limit of a friendly tone'' - Before the Iranian election, US opinion on Barack Obama’s foreign policy divided on predictably partisan lines. Now the picture is more complicated - 6th July
 * is choosing to be weak'' - As he promised last year, Barack Obama has brought climate change and healthcare reform to the centre of the nation’s attention. The problem is that the bills emerging from Congress are bad and the president does not seem to mind - 29th June
 * thin outline of regulatory reform'' - The Obama administration’s proposals for US financial regulation are pretty good, as far as they go. The problem is they do not go far enough. A crisis of this order demands big new ideas, and the leadership to push them through. If not now, when? - 22nd June
 * for all may be the best cure for the US'' - For the past few months, Barack Obama and his allies in Congress have been striding towards far-reaching reform of the US healthcare system without the public paying much attention. This is changing. Medicare for all would give the US truly universal coverage and better control of costs - 15th June
 * action shows the cracks'' - Sonia Sotomayor is a fine candidate for the Supreme Court but one of her most recent cases happens to be an egregious instance of how racial politics has polluted US law. The lesson of the case is that the law needs to be changed once more - 8th June
 * need aid not bureaucracy'' - Among Afghans, the perception is that the western aid effort – with its civilian workers, armoured compounds, endless meetings and red tape – is feeding mainly itself, not the country it is there to help - 1st June
 * Obama owes Bush an apology'' - Barack Obama is adjusting the Bush administration’s “war powers” approach to fighting terrorism here and there, and seeks to put it on a sounder legal footing. This recalibration is significant but by no means the entirely new approach that he led voters to expect - 25th May
 * requires a dose of healthcare reality'' - Breaking the link between employers and health insurance would make excellent sense. Unfortunately voters do not believe it and nor do politicians of either party - 18th May
 * classroom equality battle'' - Fixing US education means firing the worst teachers and shutting the worst schools, but in many parts of the country sacking a teacher, however incompetent, is next to impossible. Will Mr Obama dare to face down this powerful Democratic party constituency - 11th May
 * all at sea as party sinks'' - The party needs to frame practical, coherent, and above all centrist alternatives to what Mr Obama and his congressional allies are doing. Instead, it wants to shore up its base, chant its slogans and purge its moderates. Yet this gleeful suicidal tendency is sad as well as funny - 4th May
 * needless fight over torture'' - The drive for prosecutions is a furiously partisan project. Already, little hope remains of a bipartisan approach to the myriad problems that confront Barack Obama’s administration. If the US president fails to get a grip on this new controversy, the prospect of any such co-operation will be nil - 27th April
 * search of an Obama doctrine'' - The pragmatic and persevering president will no doubt keep plugging away despite disappointments. Soon, other national leaders who say they so admire him will have to return more than warm feelings - 20th April
 * criminally stupid war on drugs in the US'' - Much of the damage done by illegal drugs is a result of the fact that they are illegal. Vastly more lives are blighted by the brutality of prohibition, and by the enormous criminal networks it has created, than by the substances themselves. This is true of cocaine and heroin as well as of soft drugs such as marijuana - 13th April
 * fiscal hole that must be filled'' - Congress is preparing to underwrite a large and permanent expansion of US government spending obligations while failing to expand the tax base. So for how long will Barack Obama be able to keep his pledge not to raise income taxes for almost all Americans - 6th April
 * image buys Obama only so much goodwill'' - Friction with allies will grow - 30th March
 * faster on death-wish finance'' - AIG’s business model, which involved insuring risks taken by other financial groups on an insupportable scale, had moral hazard written all over its transactions. Intervene early or risk having to choose between Lehman and its consequences in 2008 and AIG and its consequences in 2009 - 23rd March
 * Obama can avoid a policy jam'' - The prospects for Barack Obama’s agenda depend on his ability to marshal political capital and spend it wisely. In the simplest terms, he needs to stay as popular as he can for as long as possible. Once his approval ratings slide – and they show the first signs of doing so – he is sunk - 16th March
 * Obama’s left leaning is no tactical feint'' - The people the US president needs to do business with are members of his own party – and unless I am much mistaken, those people are liberals - 8th March
 * budget reveals the liberal Obama'' - The US president’s outreach to Republicans is no sham; his civility is not a front. He respects people who disagree with him and is always willing to listen – but then stays true to his beliefs. This is a rare and devastating combination - 2nd March
 * health check for fiscal discipline'' - This week Barack Obama will lead a ‘frank discussion’ on the long-term fiscal problems facing his country, according to his spokesman. America will need big, new, broad-based taxes: but how willing will the administration be to talk about this - 23rd February
 * lonely quest for consensus'' - The US government as a whole must lead public opinion. More than it has so far managed, it must anticipate, not just react. That is why President Barack Obama is right about the need for consensus, and partisans on both sides of Congress are wrong - 16th February
 * is damaging the credibility of economics'' - My earlier confidence that economists are not wasting their own and everybody else’s time is diminishing - 9th February
 * politics and urgent remedies'' - With luck the US stimulus bill will be improved. But a measure of this sort, however flawed, is far safer than further delay - 2nd February
 * owe it to Obama to co-operate'' - The US president’s initiative on Guantánamo has given his allies something they said they wanted. Will they reciprocate? Joint action will be needed in foreign and security policy, but even more urgent is the need for economic co-ordination - 26th January
 * fixes for America’s fiscal fiasco'' - The US economy’s perilous condition calls for extreme fiscal activism too ugly for president-elect Barack Obama to dwell on in Tuesday’s inaugural address - 19th January
 * shot in the arm is too small'' - A stimulus of $500bn to $750bn in 2009 should be the aim. The bigger the number, the stronger the case for including temporary tax cuts. In this respect, a bigger stimulus could improve the prospects for a deal between US Republicans and Democrats - 12th January
 * on Obama’s soft power'' - If a Guantánamo Bay detainee released on the president-elect’s watch, despite being regarded as dangerous, were implicated in a future attack on the US – in another September 11, or worse – the country would not forgive him - 5th January



Articles: 2008

 * in 2009: US will forgive Obama’s failures but not indecision'' - The president-elect will be judged by his ability to retain the respect of the country even as the disappointments pile up - 29th December 2008
 * has to lead the way on trade'' - Averting a protectionist turn in US policy should be Barack Obama’s top priority in trade. “Do no harm” and “set a good example” should be his watchwords. But statements during his campaign cast doubt on his commitment to the case for liberal trade - 22nd December 2008
 * long road to healthcare reform'' - Reforming US healthcare is a heroic undertaking, crucial to economic prospects. Now, on top of the difficulties that sank a previous plan, it must bid for financial and political resources against the vast outlays that the recession will pre-empt - 15th December 2008
 * question of first things first'' - With the economy shrinking at a frightening rate, the Obama administration needs to focus intently on devising an effective fiscal stimulus. This needs to be large, fast, temporary and do as much as possible to support demand - 8th December 2008
 * and the risk of deflation'' - In Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve has a chairman who understands deflation’s causes and cures as well as anybody, the subject was one of his specialities as an academic. But is America’s policy correctly aligned to confront this risk? Not yet - 1st December 2008
 * to reinvent Republican party'' - The challenge is not whether it is a movement of social or fiscal conservatives, or of soft libertarians. To win elections, the party needs support from all - 24th November 2008
 * come down to earth'' - Had the leaders of the Group of 20 rich and emerging economies held their emergency weekend summit at the end of January, with the new American president in office, it would have been seen as a world-historic moment. Timing is everything - 17th November 2008
 * choices that confront America'' - How can the next administration reconcile its longer-term goals for the economy with the imperatives of the economic crisis? Getting this right is the key to success for Obama - 10th November 2008
 * FDR can teach Obama'' - Voters can overlook a lot of failure if they are sure a leader is on their side. Roosevelt had the talent of persuading them - 8th November 2008
 * heavy weight of expectations'' - Great presidents inspire but they also deliver. The plain fact is that Barack Obama will not be able to deliver what he has promised. The problems he will confront are too difficult. Enthusiasm among the Democratic candidate’s supporters is not just naive, it borders on the deranged - 3rd November 2008
 * is no salesman on tax'' - Middle-income families would get a bigger tax cut under McCain’s proposals than under Obama’s. So why don’t most Americans know this - 20th October 2008
 * system overwhelmed by innovation'' - Obama’s ambitions for healthcare, infrastructure and taxes will run up against the demands the rescue will place on present and future taxpayers - 14th October 2008
 * system overwhelmed by innovation'' - Obama’s ambitions for healthcare, infrastructure and taxes will run up against the demands the rescue will place on present and future taxpayers - 13th October 2008
 * it is all uphill for McCain'' - The Republican presidential candidate will try to use the next TV debate with Barack Obama to stop the rot. But it is difficult to see how - 6th October 2008
 * candidates’ fiscal options fade'' - It is assumed the US can borrow without limit. Yet the US has a budget constraint that is about to be sorely tested - 29th September 2008
 * time for playground politics'' - Obama and McCain were bound to seem irrelevant to the task of stabilising the financial system, even though important principles are at stake - 22nd September 2008
 * activists should stop digging'' - If Barack Obama loses this election to John McCain, history will point to August 29 as the moment when Mr McCain announced Sarah Palin would be his running-mate and when livid Democrats gravely harmed their candidate’s prospects - 15th September 2008
 * must learn some respect'' - This article is not the first to note the cultural contradiction in American liberalism, but just now the point bears restating. The election may turn on it - 8th September 2008
 * gamble on Palin is shrewd'' - If you think you are on track to lose, it is not crazy to gamble on redemption so long as you think the bet has a big enough upside - 1st September 2008
 * Clintons still loom large over Obama'' - For Hillary Clinton to have her second chance in 2012, the Clintons must not be too deeply implicated in any Obama defeat - 25th August 2008
 * of a Watergate for Bush'' - Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind alleges the White House directed the forgery of evidence to support its case for the Iraq war - 11th August 2008
 * The US economy may not be in recession, but this is the nearest thing - In spite of the recent fiscal stimulus, output grew less than 2 per cent at an annual rate in the second quarter, slower than expected - 3rd August 2008
 * Issues are ignored in this American image war - Obama’s trip to Europe and the Middle East did what it was supposed to. It untapped a stream of presidential images - 27th July 2008
 * One simple way to predict a victor - One cannot help but be struck by the current disconnection in US presidential politics between, on one hand, the excitement and enthusiasm that attend Barack Obama’s candidacy and, on the other, the tightness of the race according to recent polls - 20th July 2008
 * Guarantees for America’s guarantors - US taxpayers are about to find out what their long-standing and (strictly speaking) non-existent guarantee of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will cost them - 13th July 2008
 * America’s human capital is tested - A startling and profoundly important fact about the US economy has received surprisingly little attention. The educational quality of the country’s workers is starting to decline – not just relatively (because other countries are catching up and moving ahead) but also, for the first time, in absolute terms - 6th July 2008
 * The highest political bearpit in the land - When the US Supreme Court makes important rulings, discussion ensues on the intent of the constitution’s draughtsmen and how far their purposes should guide the court more than 200 years later - 29th June 2008
 * Hot air clouds the energy debate - Week in and week out, Washington gives master classes in making simple questions complicated. It is a bipartisan effort of mutually assured irrelevance - 22nd June 2008
 * Orthodox responses to taxing issues - Barack Obama and John McCain both expect the ailing US economy to work to their advantage in November - 15th June 2008
 * Now it is time for Obama to be more ordinary - 8th June 2008
 * The Fed’s year of living dangerously - The remarkable ability of the Federal Reserve to coast above the turbulence of US politics has been tested lately. The central bank has been forced to deal with a financial crisis at least partly of its own making - 1st June 2008
 * So much for a new kind of US politics - Two weeks ago in this space I expressed the naive hope that a US presidential contest between John McCain and Barack Obama might be a cut above ordinary politics - 25th May 2008
 * How to cure America’s health system - In US public policy, all roads lead to healthcare. Remorseless pressure on public spending? Blame Medicare. Economic insecurity? Fear of losing health benefits is a chief cause. Stagnant wages and worsening inequality? Look to the cost of employer-provided insurance. This failing system is a national scandal not just in its own right, but because of its proliferating fiscal, economic and political implications - 18th May 2008
 * In hope of a principled campaign - Hillary Clinton’s failure of momentum in Indiana and North Carolina last week as good as assured Barack Obama of the Democratic party’s nomination - 11th May 2008
 * Hillary Clinton would be the bigger gamble - The hole the US Democratic party is digging for itself just keeps getting deeper - 4th May 2008
 * Self-destructive Democrats - Last week’s vote in Pennsylvania was an even worse result for the Democratic party than is widely supposed - 27th April 2008
 * Clinton’s last chance to stop Obama - Going into Tuesday’s crucial Pennsylvania primary, Hillary Clinton’s task looks not just difficult – as it has for weeks – but nigh on impossible - 20th April 2008
 * The fiscal consequences of the Bush administration - Competition for “most damaging legacy of the Bush administration” is lively. Iraq is the front-runner, of course, but bear in mind the wreckage of fiscal policy - 13th April 2008
 * Regulation needs more than tuning - When the crisis in US and global financial markets started to unfold, so began the incantation of two default opinions. One: regulation is the answer and we must have more. Two: regulation is the problem and more would be worse - 6th April 2008
 * Financial markets need more than a patch-up - Last week I berated the presidential candidates for ignoring the US financial meltdown. I withdraw that charge: all three have now given speeches on the subject. Whether they have advanced the discussion is another matter - 30th March 2008
 * Campaign silence over Wall St woes - The separation of presidential politics from the troubles assailing the US economy is now verging on the surreal - 23rd March 2008
 * In the grip of implacable subprime forces - Months into the subprime meltdown, economists and policymakers in the US seem no closer to agreement about what, if anything, to do - 9th March 2008
 * Hillary Clinton gets it sincerely wrong - When Texas and Ohio vote in Tuesday’s Democratic primaries, they may bring Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the presidency to an end - 2nd March 2008
 * Hawk versus pragmatist - Hillary Clinton’s campaign is not over, but the US presidential election in November seems ever more likely to be between Barack Obama and John McCain - 24th February 2008
 * Fine words and the economic reality - With eight wins out of eight in the most recent contests and another expected on Tuesday in Wisconsin, Barack Obama is for the first time the clear favourite to win the Democratic nomination - 17th February 2008
 * Why Democrats must choose Obama - The manager or the visionary. Hillary Clinton’s own supporters – the candidate herself, in speech after speech – have cast the fight this way - 10th February 2008
 * For once, it is all about electability - Tracking this astonishing election, you have to remind yourself that the US, when all is said and done, may end up with the president it first thought of - 3rd February 2008
 * US economy brings worries for both parties - Conditions are less than ideal, let us say, for President George W. Bush’s last state of the union speech, to be delivered today - 27th January 2008
 * A fiscal stimulus offers limited help - In a sudden and doubtless temporary outbreak of willingness to co-operate, the White House and Congress, cheered on by the Federal Reserve, are working on a plan for fiscal stimulus - 20th January 2008



National Journal: 'Wealth of Nations'
Column remit: "...offers an international perspective on global affairs and politics as well as world finances and economic development"

Section: Buzzcolumns

Role: Commentator

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:CCrook@nationaljournal.com CCrook@nationaljournal.com]

Website: National Journal / Clive Crook

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Tuesday

Regularity: Fortnightly

Column format:

Average length:



Articles: 2009

 * link to the latest article
 * Time To Start A Bad Bank - Treasury has better reasons than mere timidity to be leery of outright temporary nationalization - 21st March 2009
 * The End Of The American Exception? - The transformation that some liberals seek could threaten America's unique cultural traits - 7th March 2009
 * How The Stimulus Falls Short - Bottom line: The package is significantly smaller and less front-loaded than it looks - 21st February 2009
 * Protectionism And The Stimulus - The spirit of Smoot-Hawley lives on in stimulus bills' 'Buy American' language - 7th February 2009
 * Why Obama Must Be Radical - Rather than splitting the difference between Democrats and Republicans, Obama needs to be bolder than both - 24th January 2009



Articles: 2008

 * Why Europe Needs Its Own New Deal - The Federal Reserve's zeal for dramatic initiatives to combat the recession has been notably absent in Europe - 20th December 2008
 * Housing Is Still The Epicenter - An economic recovery will be difficult to engineer if housing prices continue to fall - 6th December 2008
 * Does Obama Still Want Stronger Unions? - The state of American auto manufacturing -- an example of union power in action -- ought to give Barack Obama pause - 22nd November 2008
 * G-20 Meeting Is A Chance For A New Agenda - It's time for a new G-8 -- of the United States, the European Union, Japan, Brazil, China, Russia, India and Saudi Arabia - 15th November 2008
 * An Economy In Free Fall - Economists have now come around to the view that a second big fiscal stimulus is required, and soon. The main question is just how big - 1st November 2008
 * The Crisis Goes Global - It is no longer possible for any one country to design its financial regulations as though it were alone in the world - 11th October 2008
 * Enemy Of The Good - Every day's delay in bringing support to the country's credit system risks an accelerating cycle of economic decline - 27th September 2008
 * Treasury And The Fed: Beyond Crisis Management - Now that the brute facts are being confronted, Paulson and Bernanke deserve good marks - 20th September 2008
 * The Economics Of John McCain - Organizing much of his campaign around gas prices has forced McCain into a series of indefensible economic positions - 30th August 2008
 * How to Get Serious About Energy Policy - Politicians of both parties take it for granted that the American voter cannot tolerate an explicit tax on carbon - 2nd August 2008
 * When Fannie and Freddie Hit the Fan - Fannie and Freddie are part of a complex, spontaneously evolving, and partially disguised system of government support for homeownership - 19th July 2008
 * The Coming War Between Young and Old - The young and productive are having to struggle more than their parents did, whereas their parents have never had it so good - 5th July 2008
 * Irish Lessons on Democracy - The E.U.'s inner writhings are an object lesson for romantic internationalists who see "multilateralism" and the pooling of sovereignty as the way forward - 21st June 2008
 * Tax Evasion, 2008 - McCain and Obama's disagreement over Bush's tax cuts is blinkered, needlessly heated, and pointless - 7th June 2008
 * Why The Economy Is Like Hillary Clinton - Like a presidential candidate I could mention, the American economy has a hard time knowing when to quit - 24th May 2008
 * The Trouble With McCain's Health Plan - Employer-based insurance not only neuters the forces that would otherwise press down on costs, it also locks workers into jobs that they otherwise might not want - 3d May 2008
 * Revive the Colombia Trade Pact - The combination of liberal trade and a better safety net for the minority of Americans who are disadvantaged by it is the right approach. But the White House will not go there - 19th April 2008
 * Don't Trash Paulson's Blueprint - Paul Krugman of The New York Times and the editorial writers of The Wall Street Journal hate to agree, but Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson Jr.'s blueprint for financial regulation brought them to it - 5th April 2008
 * By Any Means Necessary - Interesting times, are they not? We have a presidential election as momentous as any in living memory. The United States might soon elect its first black leader - 22nd March 2008
 * John McCain's Muddled Math - Not long ago John McCain was almost boasting that he knew little about economics. That kind of candor, a distinctive McCain trait, is likable but has its limits - 8th March 2008
 * Battle of the Two Obamas - In a column this week, David Brooks of The New York Times talked about victims of Obama Comedown Syndrome - 23rd February 2008
 * Phony Budget Tells All - A plan to spend $3.1 trillion of taxpayers' money next year ought to be worth a moment's attention - 9th February 2008
 * Wealth of Nations - Beyond Bipartisanship - The country may be ready for a woman or a black man as president -- but can it deal with something more radical? - 2nd February 2008



The Atlantic:
Column remit: US political and economic issues, public policy matters

Section:

Role: Commentator

Pen-name:

Email:

Website: The Atlantic / Clive Crook

Commissioning editor:

Day published:

Regularity:

Column format:

Average length:



Articles:

 * Small World - Market crashes are inevitable, but financial innovation and globalization have massively increased our vulnerability to them. Unless we make big regulatory changes—changes on a global scale—we should prepare for more years like this one - 24th December 2008
 * The Return of Regulation - July / August 2008
 * Renting - July / August, 2008
 * Sins of Emission - Kyoto was a sham and a failure—so how has it become a model for future anti-warming efforts? - April 2008
 * The End of the American Exception - Economically speaking, America could soon be more European than Europe - 5th March 2008


 * The Atlantic / Clive Crook (archive: 2005/2008)

