The Battle of Bretton Woods
A remarkably deft work of storytelling that reveals how the blueprint for the postwar economic order was actually drawn.
See more in Economics, International Finance
Senior Fellow and Director of International Economics
International finance; financial markets; economic policy.
A remarkably deft work of storytelling that reveals how the blueprint for the postwar economic order was actually drawn.
See more in Economics, International Finance
A fascinating intellectual history of monetary nationalism from the ancient world to the present exploring why, in its modern incarnation, it represents the single greatest threat to globalization.
See more in Economics
Over the past two decades, another form of economic exchange besides imports and exports has risen to a level of vastly greater significance and political concern: the purchase and sale of financial assets across borders.
See more in Emerging Markets, International Finance, U.S. Strategy and Politics
Benn Steil argues that the U.S. is relying dangerously on massive government spending and lending to paper over its real problem--distorted incentives in the debt-encumbered banking system.
See more in United States, Economics, U.S. Strategy and Politics
CFR's Benn Steil says the dollar's continuing decline could result in higher prices for major imports like energy and, in a worst-case scenario, might lead to higher inflation and interest rates.
See more in Financial Crises, Trade
In Benn Steil's October column in Dow Jones' Financial News, he shows that the U.S. only calls for floating exchange rates when it believes the dollar will float down rather than up, and argues that this self-interested inconsistency is encouraging China and America's other major creditors to move away from non-discriminatory multilateral trade as they seek to lessen their dependence on the dollar.
See more in Financial Crises, Trade
In the first of his new monthly columns for Financial News, Benn Steil argues that private as well as public sector defined benefit pension schemes are a major risk to taxpayers, and should be replaced by defined contribution schemes.
See more in Business and Foreign Policy, International Finance
Benn Steil argues that Keynes's General Theory demonstrably misapprehends the nature of money and the monetary system, and that shorn of its theoretical foundation, "fiscal stimulus" cannot be considered a harmless remedy.
See more in Economics, Financial Crises, U.S. Strategy and Politics
A fascinating intellectual history of monetary nationalism from the ancient world to the present exploring why, in its modern incarnation, it represents the single greatest threat to globalization.
See more in Economics
Benn Steil argues that the world has no attractive alternatives to the current dollar-based international monetary system, but that the dollar's days of coasting on the accomplishments of the Volcker Fed are over. The Fed must demonstrate to the world anew that the dollar is a reliable long-term store of value.
See more in Financial Crises, International Finance
In this report, Benn Steil shows that the financial crisis is the inevitable bust of a classic credit boom, and explains how monetary, taxation, and home ownership promotion policy combined with other features of the financial system to fuel an unsustainable buildup in debt. He recommends significant reforms to reverse the debt financing bias and make the system more resilient to falls in asset prices. This report is also available in Arabic.
See more in Financial Crises, International Finance
In this Financial Times op-ed, Benn Steil takes a critical look at economists invoking the authority of Keynes in support of adding another trillion dollars to the federal debt.
See more in Economics, Financial Crises
In this Financial Times op-ed, Benn Steil argues that we need a "safe-fail" approach to preventing financial crises, aimed at limiting systemic damage after financial institutions fail.
See more in Economics
CFR's Benn Steil analyzes the financial rescue plan under debate on Capitol Hill and suggests adjustments that he says would make it more effective and less risky for the federal government.
See more in United States, Economics
In this Wall Street Journal op-ed, Benn Steil argues that the U.S Federal Reserve has seriously damaged the credibility of the policy framework its chairman has long championed, inflation targeting, by pursuing other objectives inconsistent with price stability.
See more in United States, Financial Crises
In this testimony, Benn Steil argues that the rise in financial speculation in commodities reflects the collapse of a "currency bubble," as investors react to the re-emergence of inflation and the decline of the dollar.
See more in Economics, Financial Crises, Congress and Foreign Policy
In this Financial Times op-ed, Benn Steil argues that the Fed's aggressive monetary expansion threatens to undermine its unique powers among central banks, and, if continued, will have damaging consequences for America's future prosperity and global political influence.
See more in United States, Economics, Economic Development, Geoeconomics
CFR’s Benn Steil examines proposals for a regulatory overhaul of the U.S. financial system put forth by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
See more in United States, Economics
In this Wall Street Journal op-ed, Benn Steil argues that Calpers, the California Public Employees' Retirement System, is best viewed as a highly political "sovereign wealth fund." Governed by state political figures and union representatives, Calpers' investment decisions are frequently guided by foreign policy and social agendas rather than fundholder interests.
See more in United States, Corporate Governance, Economic Development
Mark Fisch and Benn Steil write that “the devastating credit squeeze that has been gumming up the interbank and commercial paper loan markets for months shows few signs of letting up. The underlying problem remains firmly in the market for subprime mortgages.”
See more in Economics, U.S. Strategy and Politics
In light of the recent turmoil in the foreign exchange markets, Benn Steil
condenses the arguments of his recent Foreign Affairs article, 'The End of
National Currency,' for Canada's leading financial daily.
See more in International Finance
In this Financial Times op-ed, Manuel Hinds and Benn Steil argue that the Fed's loose monetary policy could jeopardize the dollar's position as the international standard of value.
See more in United States, Economics
In the Spring/Summer 2007 issue of The Cato Journal, Benn Steil writes on "Federal Reserve Policy in the Face of Crisis." He argues
that the global monetary order of national fiat currencies represents the
greatest threat to globalization.
See more in International Finance
New York, New York
CFR Senior Fellow and Director of International Economics
+1.212.434.9622
| Romil Chouhan |
CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera reports on the latest details of the impact from the Greek elections; and Andrew Busch, BMO Capital Markets and Benn Steil, Council on Foreign Relations, weigh in. "If we don't recapitalize the Spanish banking sector, we won't have time for the types of reforms we want," says Steil.