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home > the cfr think tank > experts > amity shlaes
Senior Fellow for Economic History
Contact Info:
Phone: +1-212-434-9500
E-mail: ashlaes@cfr.org
Location:
New York, NY
Media downloads:
High-resolution photo (JPG, 678K)
One-page bio (PDF, 44K)
Author of The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression; syndicated columnist for Bloomberg. Current work examines the relationship between entrepreneurship and foreign policy.
Expertise:Germany; Russia; economics; U.S. tax policy; relative competitiveness.
Experience:Syndicated Columnist, Bloomberg, Financial Times (2000-2006); Commentator, Marketplace Radio (2005-present); Contributing Editor, The American (2006); Editorial Board Member, Wall Street Journal (1994-2000); Editorial Features Editor, Wall Street Journal (1992-94); Deputy Editorial Features Editor, Wall Street Journal (1990-92); Editorial Features Editor, Wall Street Journal/Europe (1986-90); contributed over the years to Fortune, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Commentary Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Reader’s Digest, Spectator of London, Suddeutsche Zeitung, Die Zeit, National Review, New Republic, Tax Notes, New Yorker, review of the American Academy in Berlin, and Foreign Affairs; appeared on numerous television and radio shows, including NPR’s Morning Edition and On Point, in addition to Marketplace.
Languages:German (fluent); French (proficient)
Honors:American Institute in Contemporary German Studies (trustee); Jurist for fellows selection, American Academy of Berlin; Frederic Bastiat Prize (for writing on political economy, 2002); J.P. Morgan Fellow of Economics and Finance, American Academy in Berlin; Bradley lecturer, American Enterprise Institute; Finalist for the Loeb (prize in economic commentary).
Selected Publications:Turning Intellect to Influence (coauthor, Reed Press, 2004); “Fluch der Rohstoffe,” Die Zeit (August 2003); “Lulling the Taxpayer: The Long-Standing Consequences of Devices Such as Withholding,” The Future of American Taxation: Essays Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of Tax Notes (Tax Analysts, 2002); The Greedy Hand: How Taxes Drive Americans Crazy and What to Do About It (Random House, 1999); “Give It Back,” Hoover Digest No. 4 (1999); “Germany’s Chained Economy,” Foreign Affairs (September/October 1994); Germany: The Empire Within (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1991).
Related Links:
Podcast: Oil May Not Grease Friendship (Yale Global Online; April 12, 2008)
Current Research Projects
Past Research Project
August 2, 2008
| Authors: | Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow for Economic History Douglas A. Irwin, Robert E. Maxwell ’23 Professor of Arts and Sciences, Department of Economics, Dartmouth College |
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Op-Ed
Wall Street Journal
The failure of the Doha Round does not call for despair, but turning talks into agreements will require leadership that can endure a long, lurching process, without instant success. In this Wall Street Journal op-ed, Douglas Irwin and Amity Shlaes point to Cordell Hull, Secretary of State from 1933 to 1944, as a model for leadership on trade.
See more in Trade
July 31, 2008
| Author: | Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow for Economic History |
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Op-Ed
Bloomberg
In this Bloomberg article, Amity Shlaes writes that the new housing act—hesitantly signed into law by President Bush—may look great at first, but promises future trouble. The bill expands moral hazard, widening incentives to do the wrong thing.
See more in Economics, U.S. Strategy and Politics
July 23, 2008
| Author: | Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow for Economic History |
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Op-Ed
Bloomberg
Barack Obama will be given a euphoric reception this week when he speaks at Victory Column in Berlin. But in this Bloomberg article, Amity Shlaes argues that the Berlin cityscape reminds us of the limits of Obama’s foreign policy and that sometimes you encounter war even when you don’t want to.
See more in Germany, Presidency
July 17, 2008
| Author: | Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow for Economic History |
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Op-Ed
Bloomberg
Is this the end of Republicans and their Reaganite philosophy? In this Bloomberg article, Amity Shlaes argues that to assign responsibility for the current economic crisis to Reaganomics or Republicans alone is worse than crisis revisionism. It is absurd.
See more in Economics
July 12, 2008
| Author: | Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow for Economic History |
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Op-Ed
Washington Post
Speaking honestly about the economy can be dangerous politically, as Phil Gramm found out last week. In this Washington Post article, Amity Shlaes argues that the way to strengthen the economy right now is to elect leaders who dare to talk frankly about our problems, and then act on them.
See more in Economics, Media and Foreign Policy
July 9, 2008
| Author: | Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow for Economic History |
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Op-Ed
Bloomberg
In this Bloomberg article, Amity Shlaes examines the “connection premium” of various business schools and asks what the dollar value is of having university connections in the business world.
See more in Economics
July 3, 2008
| Author: | Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow for Economic History |
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Op-Ed
Bloomberg
The Great Depression and the New Deal point to two seemingly contradictory responses to a serious economic slump. In this Bloomberg article, Amity Shlaes argues that the political consumer will prefer calls for New Deal-style collective action on the economy, while the cultural consumer will prefer hearing about the strength of the individual to overcome tough odds.
See more in Economics, Society and Culture, Presidency
June 25, 2008
| Author: | Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow for Economic History |
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Op-Ed
Bloomberg
In this Bloomberg article, Amity Shlaes argues that John McCain’s fiscal program may look expensive on paper but it will provide a valuable infrastructure that will shore up the American house in ways that will prove more than worth it later.
See more in Economics, Presidency
June 18, 2008
| Author: | Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow for Economic History |
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Op-Ed
Bloomberg
In the early part of the 20th century, wary merchants used the gold clause to hedge against inflation. Amity Shlaes describes the ongoing legal battle over the Halle building in Cleveland that highlights the implications of the dollar’s increasingly unpredictable movements.
See more in Economics, International Finance
June 12, 2008
| Author: | Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow for Economic History |
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Op-Ed
New York Sun
Welcome to the new era of tax intelligence—the more complex, the better. In this New York Sun article, Amity Shlaes argues that Democrats are adroit at developing such proposals, yet many of the likely tax increases would deal a blow to American competitiveness.
June 5, 2008
| Author: | Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow for Economic History |
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Op-Ed
Wall Street Journal
People these days fear inflation. In this Wall Street Journal op-ed, Amity Shlaes examines President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s move away from the gold standard in 1933 and the implications of the end of the “gold clause” as an inflation hedge.
See more in Economics
May 29, 2008
| Author: | Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow for Economic History |
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Op-Ed
New York Sun
In a new report, Nobelists Michael Spence and Robert Solow—and other big names in economics—suggest new rules for developing countries to supplant the unloved Washington Consensus. While there is a lot to like in The Growth Report, Amity Shlaes says that it misses some important notes. In fact, Miss Shlaes writes that the Washington Consensus is still good, and updating the name may be all we need.
See more in Economic Development
May 21, 2008
| Author: | Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow for Economic History |
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Op-Ed
Bloomberg
The aftermath of the catastrophe in China exposed the levels of corruption in regional Chinese politics. Amity Shlaes explains how this corruption worsened the damage caused by the earthquake and compares it to Louisiana.
See more in China
May 19, 2008
| Author: | Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow for Economic History |
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Op-Ed
In this article, Amity Shlaes explains the various policies that have led to the creation of a dynamic entrepreneurial environment in the United States. She finds that venture capital has had a significant role in empowering entrepreneurs across the United States.
May 9, 2008
| Author: | Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow for Economic History |
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Op-Ed
New York Sun
Amity Shlaes writes that Harold M. Ickes’ strategies have not worked for Hillary Clinton’s campaign and compares his tactics to those of his father, FDR’s strategist, Harold M. Ickes.
See more in U.S. Election 2008
May 2, 2008
| Author: | Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow for Economic History |
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Op-Ed
Bloomberg
Hillary Clinton wants a windfall tax to subsidize a summer gas tax holiday for drivers. In this New York Sun article, Amity Shlaes uses the great Windfall-Profit tax of 1980 to demonstrate why we should oppose such a tax. While Mrs. Clinton may believe she's found a political windfall, the plans are so poorly crafted they may prove to be what wipes her out.
See more in U.S. Election 2008
April 22, 2008
| Author: | Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow for Economic History |
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Op-Ed
Bloomberg.com
While Pennsylvania happens to be the physical location of the latest contest between Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, in terms of political culture, their duel is situated in Chicago. Amity Shlaes writes that the battle can be viewed as one between two neighborhoods on the Windy City's South Side—the “Daleyesque clout” of Bridgeport and the “liberalism at its best” of Hyde Park. Yet, the Hyde Parker eventually morphs into a Bridgeporter.
See more in U.S. Strategy and Politics, U.S. Election 2008
April 17, 2008
| Author: | Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow for Economic History |
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Op-Ed
New York Sun
Amity Shlaes explains why “this economy is to the Great Depression what an April drizzle is to Hurricane Katrina.”
See more in Economics, U.S. Election 2008
April 16, 2008
| Author: | Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow for Economic History |
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Op-Ed
Bloomberg
The current economic slowdown has recently been compared to the Great Depression of the 1930s. In this Bloomberg column, Amity Shlaes argues that this analogy is absurd; stocks have not declined nearly as substantially, unemployment is nowhere near 1930s levels, and only one big bank has collapsed. The U.S. simply can’t afford to luxuriate in a Depression image; doing so takes away time from devising policies that would really make the economy more competitive.
See more in Economics, U.S. Election 2008
April 9, 2008
| Author: | Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow for Economic History |
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Op-Ed
Bloomberg
“These days, nobody seems to doubt that the U.S. dollar will lose its status as the world’s reserve currency. To watch the financial news channels you would think that the dollar-yuan relationship is so unstable that the only question is whether it will be Ben Bernanke or Chinese monetary authorities who will determine the details of the breakdown. Perhaps the dollar won’t be surrender its anchor role so soon. And perhaps that loss, if it comes, will happen because of events that take place nowhere near men in suits at a central bank. Maybe the answer to the dollar’s riddle can be found in the cellphone photo image of a Tibetan monk in crimson and orange squaring off with a Chinese soldier.” Amity Shlaes looks at the role of China in the future of the US dollar.
See more in United States, China, East Asia, Economics
In Termites in the Trading System, Jagdish Bhagwati reveals how the rapid spread of preferential trade agreements endangers the world trading system.
America Between the Wars explores how the decisions and debates of the years between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Twin Towers shaped the events, arguments, and politics of the world we live in today.
In The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State, Noah Feldman tells the story behind the increasingly popular call for the establishment of the sharia—the law of the traditional Islamic state—in the modern Muslim world.
Complete list of CFR Books.
This report outlines the nature of the challenges in Pakistan's tribal areas, formulates strategies for addressing those challenges, and distills the strategies into realistic policy proposals worthy of consideration by the incoming administration.
This report analyzes the debate over U.S. use of assurances against torture, explaining the contexts in which they are used, how they can be conveyed, and what they can contain, and recommends a number of ways to respond to criticism so that the United States can continue using assurances.
Complete list of Council Special Reports.
For more information on the David Rockefeller Studies Program, contact:
Gary Samore
Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair
+1-212-434-9627
gsamore@cfr.org
Sebastian Mallaby
Director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for
Geoeconomic Studies, Deputy Director of Studies, and Paul A. Volcker Senior
Fellow for International Economics
smallaby@cfr.org
Janine Hill
Deputy Director of Studies Administration
+1-212-434-9753
jhill@cfr.org
The David Rockefeller Studies Program is the Council’s “think tank.” Its work is integral to achieving the Council’s goal of contributing to the foreign policy debate. Fellows in the Studies Program do this by researching, writing, and commenting on the most important challenges facing the United States and the world.
Copyright 2008 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.
