US Vice President Kamala Harris’s rise as the presumptive Democratic nominee has breathed new life into November’s presidential election. But Donald Trump remains a formidable opponent, and defeating him will require Harris to strike the right balance between supporting President Joe Biden and distinguishing herself from him with a compelling vision for America’s future.
Subscribe now to gain greater access to Project Syndicate starting at less than $5 per month.
How to design effective industrial policies has suddenly become a hot – and divisive – topic among economists and policymakers. Even those who agree that governments should intervene in the economy to bolster productivity, increase competitiveness, and tackle social and environmental challenges differ sharply on the details.
Many observers breathed a sigh of relief at the results of the European Parliament elections, because the widely predicted far-right surge did not dislodge traditional conservatives. But even if far-right forces do not dominate the next European Parliament, they have gained ground, particularly in France and Germany. Can mainstream politicians and parties reverse this trend?
It is both the best and the worst of times for democracy – or at least for voting. Although a record-breaking four billion people across 76 countries will have cast ballots in elections this year, democratic institutions are increasingly under strain, and leading watchdogs warn of a broad-based global trend toward “autocratization.”
