Mona Ali is an associate professor of economics at the State University of New York–New Paltz. She is writing a book on the weaponization of global finance.
Economists often take money for granted, ignoring the role it plays in constraining the distribution of resources. A new book by economists J. W. Mason and Arjun Jayadev sets out to overturn the dogmatic assumptions of their profession.
After the 2008 crisis, the US set up a vast financial network offering liquidity to its allies. The ongoing clash between Jerome Powell and Donald Trump is partly about the future of this system and which vision of American empire it will promote.
Donald Trump’s attack on the Fed is part of his authoritarian attempt to capture the administrative state. Economist Mona Ali spoke to Jacobin about the stakes of the current clash between Trump and Lisa Cook and what a democratized Fed could look like.
The US dollar is used by governments and investors around the world for trade and as a safe asset. Jacobin asked economist Mona Ali if Donald Trump’s tariffs are destroying trust in the currency and what effect this instability will have on ordinary people.