Writer
Pierpaolo Barbieri
Latest Content
Volcanic Ash Allowing
The abandonment of fully-determined mathematical models that cannot deliver the certainty they promise and the consequent embrace of uncertainty may thus be, for economics as well as volcanic ash predictions, a good new principle, but perhaps an even better new beginning.
Meeting Oneself by the Charles
In the spirit of imminent change that grips the world into which we graduate, I believe it fitting to start
‘Read About It In the Newspapers’
Barricaded in their rooms by police caution tape, students in Kirkland House did not know how to react in the
A Time to Spend
In the last year, Harvard has faced diverse and troubling news in the financial sphere. From President Drew G. Faust’s
Joining Euro(pe)
Anyone visiting Prague, Warsaw, or Budapest in recent weeks would have found beautiful old cities in a rather depressed mood.
Don't Buy American
First it was a “credit crunch,” then it was an “economic crisis,” and now a “global economic downturn.” But, with
FIRE, FIRE!
Late in the evening of February 9, a landmark building in the Beijing skyline, the Television Cultural Center, was consumed
Voting Democracy Away
The vote came amidst a global economic downturn, as protectionism was on the rise everywhere and the masses feared for
That 50 Years Is Nothing
In one of the most famous tangos of all time, Carlos Gardel sang about “returning, with the withered forehead; the
Pirates of the Aden Gulf
The Western media’s focus on piracy off the Somali coast in the last few months has been light in tone
What to Expect...
Around the globe, people cheered the momentous election of Sen. Barack Obama as president of the United States—perhaps it was
Gone With the (Arctic) Wind
It was beautiful while it lasted: Impressive growth rates, speedy development, and a strong and diversified financial services industry put
The Axis of Guns and Oil
It seems old news to say the world has turned upside down: The flagship American financial services industry is in
The Bubble Doom
In the first chapter of his most celebrated work, Czech novelist Milan Kundera illustrates Nietzsche’s idea of “eternal return:” “There
The Uncertainty Principle
Bolivia has a navy. In and of itself, this may not seem noteworthy. But a map will reveal why it
