Keys to Prosperity

Book excerpt: Timely commentaries and essays from economist Rudi Dornbusch. The underlying theme of Rudi Dornbusch's work is unabashedly Chicago, namely, the University of Chicago belief that markets solve problems best and that most bureaucrats, even when well-intentioned, are distracted by politics or excessive zeal for perfect solutions. Dornbusch seeks to challenge those in charge with alternative answers and to limit their ambitions. He takes aim at central bankers, bureaucrats, unions, do-gooders, and politicians from Brazil, Japan, Russia, and other scenes of economic disaster. This book collects Dornbusch's recent commentaries from such publications as Business Week, the Wall Street Journal, and the Financial Times, as well as longer essays from recent and forthcoming books. The pieces focus on issues of domestic and international economic policy, including inflation and debt, exchange rates, trade policy, emerging markets, and the intersection of politics and economics. The writing is lively, opinionated, and informative.