Cornel Ban and the political economy of crises

I have been in Canada and the United States doing research for a book about world ports. In Boston I interviewed Cornel Ban. He recently co-edited a special issue of Review of International Political Economy on the BRICS’ relationship with the Washington Consensus, and is the author of several articles: “Brazil’s Liberal Neo-Developmentalism: Edited Orthodoxy or New Policy Paradigm?” (Review of International Political Economy), “Sovereign Debt, Austerity and Regime Change: The Case of Nicolae Ceausescu’s Romania” (East European Politics and Societies), “On Stranger Tides: The Diffusion of Ordoliberal Ideas in Postwar Spain” (History of Economic Ideas) and “Economic Transnationalism and Its Ambiguities: Romanian Migration to Italy” (International Migration).

Cornel Ban co-directs The Global Economic Governance Initiative at the Frederick S. Pardee Center of the University of Boston. I happened to co-direct "The Financial Governance Initiative" of FONDAD and other organizations in the years prior to the current crisis. Our focus was on how future crises could be prevented...

I found it very interesting and stimulating to hear Cornel Ban's views. He is currently completing a book manuscript on the political economy of crises, with a focus on the role of economic ideas and the interaction between international and domestic actors. I will report on some of Ban's views in a next post after having listened to the recording of our conversation.