Lawrence H. Summers

Contributing columnist
Lawrence Summers is a professor at and past president of Harvard University. He was treasury secretary from 1999 to 2001 and an economic adviser to President Barack Obama from 2009 through 2010.
Latest from Lawrence H. Summers

The moral and legal case for sending Russia’s frozen $300 billion to Ukraine

There would be an elegant justice in transferring Moscow's frozen central bank assets to the nation ravaged by Vladimir Putin's invasion.

March 20, 2023

How the global Pandemic Fund can live up to its great potential

The world needs the fund to prevent global disease outbreaks. Here's how to make it a success.

January 30, 2023

The Republicans don’t want to fix the IRS. Here’s how to do it anyway.

Five key observations offer a path to a better tax-collection agency.

January 16, 2023

Larry Summers: What the Fed should do next on inflation

On inflation, the Fed has its credibility back. Here's what to do next.

December 19, 2022

Curbing inflation comes first, but we can’t stop there

The Fed can't waver on Job 1, but other policymakers need to do their part, too.

October 31, 2022

IMF-World Bank meetings are the last stop before a coming economic storm

Global finance ministers need to act now in three key areas to prepare the groundwork for a coming global slowdown.

October 5, 2022

My inflation warnings have spurred questions. Here are my answers.

History is not on the side of those who forecast a soft landing for the economy.

April 5, 2022

The stock market liked the Fed’s plan to raise interest rates. It’s wrong.

The central absurdity in the Fed forecast is the idea that a super-tight labor market will somehow coincide with rapidly slowing inflation.

March 17, 2022

The Fed is charting a course to stagflation and recession

Central to fighting inflation is showing that a new paradigm is in place — and so far, the Fed hasn't been willing to do what's needed.

March 15, 2022

On inflation, we can learn from the mistakes of the past — or repeat them

Policymakers have made clear that curbing inflation is a high priority. That's a good first step.

February 3, 2022