Global Currents

Why the World Bank changed its mind on industrial policy

The World Bank’s newfound support for industrial policy reveals how economic theory is inseparable from geopolitics

Mar 25 • Jostein Hauge

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February 2026

China developed by defying free trade — not embracing it

How China fought tooth and nail with state intervention to escape a subordinate position in the world economy

Feb 26 • Jostein Hauge

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7

Economics is fundamentally political

The dangerous illusion of economics as a value-free science

Feb 19 • Jostein Hauge

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Why developing countries can't skip industrialization

The enduring case for manufacturing-led development

Feb 10 • Jostein Hauge

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The West is embracing China

Western leaders are lining up in Beijing to strengthen ties with Xi

Feb 3 • Jostein Hauge

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January 2026

The three blows that killed the rules-based international order

At this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Mark Carney delivered a speech that will likely be remembered as a watershed moment.

Jan 27 • Jostein Hauge

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December 2025

Trump's National Security Strategy calls for more global domination

The Trump administration wants to replace liberal internationalism with explicit economic and regional dominance

Dec 22, 2025 • Jostein Hauge

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Industrial policy returns as a weapon of national security

The US, China, and Europe are racing to dominate strategic industries. Here's what that means for the world economy.

Dec 16, 2025 • Jostein Hauge

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October 2025

Economics has an elitism problem

A handful of elite universities control the discipline. That’s not excellence — it’s monopoly.

Oct 30, 2025 • Jostein Hauge

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When hegemony masquerades as “common sense”: the US narrative war on China

US discourse casts China as a villain to sustain its global dominance

Oct 23, 2025 • Jostein Hauge

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August 2025

The climate crisis won't be solved by tinkering with markets

It's time for a more progressive approach to green industrial policy

Aug 11, 2025 • Jostein Hauge

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How economics lost its soul

Universities are training economists who can build models but don't understand the economy

Aug 4, 2025 • Jostein Hauge

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