Olivier Blanchard
Robert Solow Professor of economics emeritus, MIT
Olivier Blanchard is the Robert M. Solow Professor of Economics emeritus at MIT. He joined the Peterson Institute for International Economics as the first C. Fred Bergsten Senior Fellow since 2015. A citizen of France, Blanchard has spent most of his professional life in Cambridge, MA. After obtaining his PhD in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1977, he taught at Harvard University, and returned to MIT in 1982. He was chair of the economics department from 1998 to 2003. In 2008, he took a leave of absence to be the economic counselor and director of the Research Department at the International Monetary Fund.
Featured work
Maintaining Progress in a Post-American World
Europe’s challenge and opportunity: building coalitions of the willing
The European Union should take the lead in convening alliances of countries to counteract threats to the global order
Fixing Germany’s fixes of the European Commission’s fiscal governance proposal
Germany has valid concerns about Commission’s plan for reforming the fiscal rules. But there are better ways to address them.
The European Commission's fiscal rules proposal: a bold plan with flaws that can be fixed
The European Commission’s proposal for reforming the EU fiscal rules is far-reaching, but its shortcomings need to be addressed.
All work
Opinion piece
06 March 2025
Analysis
13 February 2025
Europe’s challenge and opportunity: building coalitions of the willing
The European Union should take the lead in convening alliances of countries to counteract threats to the global order
Event
21 September 2023
Analysis
18 April 2023
Fixing Germany’s fixes of the European Commission’s fiscal governance proposal
Germany has valid concerns about Commission’s plan for reforming the fiscal rules. But there are better ways to address them.
Blog post
30 November 2022
The European Commission's fiscal rules proposal: a bold plan with flaws that can be fixed
The European Commission’s proposal for reforming the EU fiscal rules is far-reaching, but its shortcomings need to be addressed.
Policy Brief
29 April 2022
Fiscal support and monetary vigilance: economic policy implications of the Russia-Ukraine war for the European Union
Policymakers must think coherently about the joint implications of their actions and avoid taking measures that contradict each other.
External publication
11 October 2021
Redesigning EU fiscal rules: from rules to standards
It is an illusion to think that EU fiscal rules can be simple.
Blog post
12 March 2021
Persistent COVID-19: Exploring potential economic implications
We see three main economic implications of a scenario of recurrent outbreaks: lasting border restrictions, repeated lockdowns and enduring effects on
Policy Brief
22 June 2020
A new policy toolkit is needed as countries exit COVID-19 lockdowns
Most governments have taken measures to protect vulnerable workers and firms from the worst effects of the sudden drop in activity related to COVID-19
Opinion piece
14 April 2020
Monetisation: do not panic
The extraordinary operations that are under way in most countries in response to the COVID-19 shock have raised fears that large-scale monetisation wi