Benjamin Braun
@benbraun.bsky.social
Political economist @ LSE | Finance, central banking & more | benjaminbraun.org
The story of Rockefeller bankrolling the establishment of the University of Chicago is fascinating (he paid for everything). He generally abstained from meddling but somewhow the one guy who got fired was a political economists who advocated for ... public ownership of the energy infrastructure.
November 22, 2025 at 4:23 PM
The story of Rockefeller bankrolling the establishment of the University of Chicago is fascinating (he paid for everything). He generally abstained from meddling but somewhow the one guy who got fired was a political economists who advocated for ... public ownership of the energy infrastructure.
Turns out all unhappy social democracies are unhappy in the exact same way.
November 18, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Turns out all unhappy social democracies are unhappy in the exact same way.
Scenes from Belém
November 16, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Scenes from Belém
Someone ask Charles Tilly what to make of this please.
November 14, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Someone ask Charles Tilly what to make of this please.
Disturbing read with striking charts, especially on the new capital goods trade deficit with China and on the share of sectors in which DE and CN share a comparative advantage.
People have been warning that the export-led model was headed for this wall for many years...
www.ft.com/content/239e...
People have been warning that the export-led model was headed for this wall for many years...
www.ft.com/content/239e...
November 12, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Disturbing read with striking charts, especially on the new capital goods trade deficit with China and on the share of sectors in which DE and CN share a comparative advantage.
People have been warning that the export-led model was headed for this wall for many years...
www.ft.com/content/239e...
People have been warning that the export-led model was headed for this wall for many years...
www.ft.com/content/239e...
"into the moral equivalent of the Baptist Church. His career as a trust king would be for him a Christian saga, a pilgrim’s progress, where he was the exemplary man, rescuing sinful refiners..."
Some John D. quotes to prove the point: Standard Oil, “the Moses who delivered them from their folly".
Some John D. quotes to prove the point: Standard Oil, “the Moses who delivered them from their folly".
![every time Rockefeller explained the rationale for Standard Oil, he resorted to patently religious imagery.“The Standard was an angel of mercy,reaching down from the sky, and saying,‘Get into the ark. Put in your oldjunk. We’ll take all the risks!’ ” He referred to Standard Oil as “the Moses who delivered them [the refiners] from their folly which had wrought such havoc in their fortunes.” Charged with destroying competition, Rockefellerwas indignant: “I repeat again, it was not a process of destruction and waste;it was a process of upbuilding and conservation of all the interests . . . in our efforts most heroic, well meant—and I would almost say, reverently, Godlike—to pull this broken-down industry out of the Slough of Despond [for which]we are charged with criminal proceedings.”98 Far from being an outlaw band,Standard Oil had “rendered a missionary service to the whole world. Strongas this statement is, it is the Gospel truth.”99 Further,“Faith and work werethe rocks upon which Standard Oil was built.”100 He credited Standard Oilwith “the salvation of the oil business and making it a reputable pursuitinstead of a disgraceful, gambling, mining scheme.” 101 While he and hispartners were “missionaries of light” and tried to treat weaker competitorswith compassion, there were limits to their tolerance since they could not](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ri3ciinceco5himlcykqomh7/bafkreibol3xcwpkjtb2iunx2zgj6342fuvlln3jwzksr22zxjtwrxubd4e@jpeg)
November 11, 2025 at 9:18 PM
"into the moral equivalent of the Baptist Church. His career as a trust king would be for him a Christian saga, a pilgrim’s progress, where he was the exemplary man, rescuing sinful refiners..."
Some John D. quotes to prove the point: Standard Oil, “the Moses who delivered them from their folly".
Some John D. quotes to prove the point: Standard Oil, “the Moses who delivered them from their folly".
... while engaging in symbolic politics by returning the Ludwig Erhard bust to the ministry that its owner had evacuated two years earlier to protect it from the heresies perpetrated by the minister's middle-of-the-road predecessor.
Tricky one isn't it. 2/2
Tricky one isn't it. 2/2
November 11, 2025 at 5:15 PM
... while engaging in symbolic politics by returning the Ludwig Erhard bust to the ministry that its owner had evacuated two years earlier to protect it from the heresies perpetrated by the minister's middle-of-the-road predecessor.
Tricky one isn't it. 2/2
Tricky one isn't it. 2/2
November 10, 2025 at 9:35 AM
Listening now. Hoping to learn more about how the United States’ new growth model is going to work.
November 9, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Listening now. Hoping to learn more about how the United States’ new growth model is going to work.
This is what deindustrialization in a carbon shock therapy setting looks like. If the state doesn’t do the planning and redistribute any remaining surpluses downward, private equity will do the planning and redistribute any remaining surpluses upward (and out of country).
on.ft.com/3WNWnA9
on.ft.com/3WNWnA9
November 9, 2025 at 11:36 AM
This is what deindustrialization in a carbon shock therapy setting looks like. If the state doesn’t do the planning and redistribute any remaining surpluses downward, private equity will do the planning and redistribute any remaining surpluses upward (and out of country).
on.ft.com/3WNWnA9
on.ft.com/3WNWnA9
"Every week that passes costs the economy anywhere from $10 billion to $30 billion, based on analysts’ estimates, with several landing in the $15 billion range."
Unfathomable.
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Unfathomable.
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
November 5, 2025 at 10:56 AM
"Every week that passes costs the economy anywhere from $10 billion to $30 billion, based on analysts’ estimates, with several landing in the $15 billion range."
Unfathomable.
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Unfathomable.
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
He said this literally one day after information about the mass killings in El-Fasher had spread. What absolute monsters. Godspeed, Michael Burry.
November 4, 2025 at 7:27 PM
He said this literally one day after information about the mass killings in El-Fasher had spread. What absolute monsters. Godspeed, Michael Burry.
Do not, under any circumstances, go short ontology.
November 4, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Do not, under any circumstances, go short ontology.
Did not expect this: This December 1945 symposium seems to be the last time the term "full employment" appeared in a research article title in the APSR. Same for AJPS.
November 4, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Did not expect this: This December 1945 symposium seems to be the last time the term "full employment" appeared in a research article title in the APSR. Same for AJPS.
On the one hand: Interesting just how long post-imperial Britain could cling on to its relative economic position. On the other hand: Yikes.
www.ft.com/content/d70c...
www.ft.com/content/d70c...
October 31, 2025 at 8:23 AM
On the one hand: Interesting just how long post-imperial Britain could cling on to its relative economic position. On the other hand: Yikes.
www.ft.com/content/d70c...
www.ft.com/content/d70c...
Me putting on my Arrighi hat (yes that’s an Arrighi hat) to defend my US economy doomerism against yesterday’s @edwardluce.bsky.social column.
October 29, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Me putting on my Arrighi hat (yes that’s an Arrighi hat) to defend my US economy doomerism against yesterday’s @edwardluce.bsky.social column.
Was sagen die vergleichenden PoWi Fachleute hierzu? Contrarianism am Limit?
www.stern.de/politik/afd-...
www.stern.de/politik/afd-...
October 29, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Was sagen die vergleichenden PoWi Fachleute hierzu? Contrarianism am Limit?
www.stern.de/politik/afd-...
www.stern.de/politik/afd-...
The problem, of course, is that Arrighi can only really explain slow relative decline. Not self-sabotage at warp speed.
on.ft.com/47ERrnk
on.ft.com/47ERrnk
October 24, 2025 at 4:25 PM
The problem, of course, is that Arrighi can only really explain slow relative decline. Not self-sabotage at warp speed.
on.ft.com/47ERrnk
on.ft.com/47ERrnk
The Pentagon “inviting in” private equity “to refurbish some real estate, or even raise financing against the real estate” and to develop “financing tools for the army’s supply chain and overall capex”: surely the apotheosis of long-hegemonic-cycle theory. Arrighi undefeated.
on.ft.com/3WPMwcU
on.ft.com/3WPMwcU
October 21, 2025 at 7:42 AM
The Pentagon “inviting in” private equity “to refurbish some real estate, or even raise financing against the real estate” and to develop “financing tools for the army’s supply chain and overall capex”: surely the apotheosis of long-hegemonic-cycle theory. Arrighi undefeated.
on.ft.com/3WPMwcU
on.ft.com/3WPMwcU
an Australian fund trustee. She implies seeking to alleviate the supply shortage, of course. But that's either brazen or naive, or both: Constraining supply is the name of the game for institutional landlords, especially where PE is involved, is is the case here. 2/2
www.ft.com/content/e955...
www.ft.com/content/e955...
October 20, 2025 at 9:08 AM
an Australian fund trustee. She implies seeking to alleviate the supply shortage, of course. But that's either brazen or naive, or both: Constraining supply is the name of the game for institutional landlords, especially where PE is involved, is is the case here. 2/2
www.ft.com/content/e955...
www.ft.com/content/e955...
Frankly, this is madness.
Reeves says "This is about getting Britain building again..."
That flies in the face of the very reason why institutional capital loves residential real estate: The ease with which supply can be constrained. What's bonkers is that this is explicitly stated here by... 1/2
Reeves says "This is about getting Britain building again..."
That flies in the face of the very reason why institutional capital loves residential real estate: The ease with which supply can be constrained. What's bonkers is that this is explicitly stated here by... 1/2
October 20, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Frankly, this is madness.
Reeves says "This is about getting Britain building again..."
That flies in the face of the very reason why institutional capital loves residential real estate: The ease with which supply can be constrained. What's bonkers is that this is explicitly stated here by... 1/2
Reeves says "This is about getting Britain building again..."
That flies in the face of the very reason why institutional capital loves residential real estate: The ease with which supply can be constrained. What's bonkers is that this is explicitly stated here by... 1/2
Literally: Reading about the House of Tudor tasking officials to engineer evidence against a woman at night; reading about the House of Windsor tasking officials to engineer evidence against a woman in the morning.
October 19, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Literally: Reading about the House of Tudor tasking officials to engineer evidence against a woman at night; reading about the House of Windsor tasking officials to engineer evidence against a woman in the morning.
Great visual story on mega batteries that will go straight onto the PE of the green transition syllabus.
Note the 1GWh cutoff here but nonetheless: a nasty picture for Europe. Chile on the other hand, impressive.
ig.ft.com/mega-batteri...
Note the 1GWh cutoff here but nonetheless: a nasty picture for Europe. Chile on the other hand, impressive.
ig.ft.com/mega-batteri...
October 13, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Great visual story on mega batteries that will go straight onto the PE of the green transition syllabus.
Note the 1GWh cutoff here but nonetheless: a nasty picture for Europe. Chile on the other hand, impressive.
ig.ft.com/mega-batteri...
Note the 1GWh cutoff here but nonetheless: a nasty picture for Europe. Chile on the other hand, impressive.
ig.ft.com/mega-batteri...
I knew it reminded me of something
October 10, 2025 at 9:12 PM
I knew it reminded me of something
Während Politikwissenschaftler*innen unter Höchstanstrengung den Wählerwillen zum Thema Vermögensbesteuerung vermessen, Evidenz zur undemokratischen Willensbildung:
October 9, 2025 at 9:48 AM
Während Politikwissenschaftler*innen unter Höchstanstrengung den Wählerwillen zum Thema Vermögensbesteuerung vermessen, Evidenz zur undemokratischen Willensbildung: