Kapstein, Ethan B. 1953- (Ethan Barnaby Kapstein)

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Kapstein, Ethan B. 1953- (Ethan Barnaby Kapstein)

PERSONAL:

Born November 23, 1953, in New York, NY. Education: Brown University, A.B., 1976; University of Toronto, M.A., 1977; Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Medford, MA, Ph.D., 1986. Hobbies and other interests: Swimming, tennis, jogging, hiking, sailing, reading.

ADDRESSES:

Office—INSEAD, Boulevard de Constance, 77305 Fontainebleau Cedex, France. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer, economist, educator, administrator, and consultant. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, lecturer in international business, 1984-94, Center for International Affairs, associate, 1984—, John M. Olin Institute, director of the Economics and National Security Program, 1989-94, Leverett House, associate, 1992—; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Stassen Professor of International Peace, 1996-2001; INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France, Paul Dubrule Professor of Sustainable Development, 2000—. Council on Foreign Relations, vice president, 1995-96. Bank of Boston, Boston, MA, Brazil officer, 1984-87; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Paris, France, principal administrator, 1994-95. National Institute for Defense Studies, Tokyo, Japan, visiting professor, 1994; National Defense University, Washington, DC, distinguished visiting professor, 1994; Sciences Po, Paris, France, visiting professor, 1996-97; Université de Nice and HEC, France, visiting professor of international economics. USIS lecturer in West Africa, 1997.

DELTEC Management corporation, consultant, 1996-99; World Bank, consultant on social policy, 1997-2000; OECD, consultant on public policy, 1999-2000; CNA Corporation, consultant, 1999; consultant to business and industry, 2001—. Secretary of the Navy, special assistant, 1999. French Institute for International Relations, research associate, 2001—. German Marshall Fund of the United States, Transatlantic Fellow, 2003—; Center for Global Development, Washington, DC, visiting fellow, 2004—. Military service: United States Navy, commander. Served during Operation Desert Storm and Kosovo conflict.

MEMBER:

American Economics Association, American Political Science Association, Council on Foreign Relations, Harvard Club of New York, International Institute for Strategic Studies.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, John M. Olin postdoctoral fellow, 1987-88; European Commission fellowship, 1991; Outstanding Academic Book Award, Choice, 1992, for The Political Economy of National Security: A Global Perspective; Russell Sage and Rockefeller Foundations, research grants, 1999-2000; Upjohn Institute grant, 2000-01; Smith Richardson Foundation, research grant, 2005-06.

WRITINGS:

The Insecure Alliance: Energy Crises and Western Politics since 1944, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 1990.

Supervising International Banks: Origins and Implications of the Basle Accord, Princeton University, Department of Economics, International Finance Section (Princeton, NJ), 1991.

(As Ethan Barnaby Kapstein) The Political Economy of National Security: A Global Perspective, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1992.

(Editor) Global Arms Production: Policy Dilemmas for the 1990s, University Press of America (Lanham, MD), 1992.

(Editor, with Raymond Vernon) Defense and Dependence in a Global Economy, Congressional Quarterly Inc. (Washington, DC), 1992.

(Editor) Downsizing Defense, Congressional Quarterly (Washington, DC), 1993.

Governing the Global Economy: International Finance and the State, Harvard University Press (Cambridge, MA), 1994.

(Editor, with Michael Mandelbaum) Sustaining the Transition: The Social Safety Net in Postcommunist Europe, Council on Foreign Relations (New York, NY), 1997.

Sharing the Wealth: Workers and the World Economy, W.W. Norton (New York, NY), 1999.

(Editor, with Michael Mastanduno) Unipolar Politics: Realism and State Strategies after the Cold War, Columbia University Press (New York, NY), 1999.

(With Branko Milanovic) Dividing the Spoils: Pensions, Privatization, and Reform in Russia's Transition, World Bank (Washington, DC), 2000.

(Editor, with Branko Milanovic) When Markets Fail: Social Policy and Economic Reform, Russell Sage Foundation (New York, NY), 2002.

(With Branko Milanovic) Income and Influence: Social Policy in Emerging Market Economies, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research (Kalamazoo, MI), 2003.

Architects of Stability? International Cooperation among Financial Supervisors, Bank for International Settlements (Basel, Switzerland), 2006.

Economic Justice in an Unfair World: Toward a Level Playing Field, Princeton University Press (Princeton, NJ), 2006.

(With Nathan Converse) The Fate of Young Democracies, Cambridge University Press (New York, NY), 2009.

Contributor to books, including Cascade of Arms: Managing Conventional Weapons Proliferation, edited by A. Pierre, Brookings Institution Press (Washington, DC), 1997; Global Public Goods, edited by Inge Kaul, Isabelle Grunberg, and Marc A. Stern, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 1999; International Relations and Democracy, edited by Marc Plattner, Johns Hopkins University Press (Washington, DC), 2000; The Alliance on Globalizing, edited by Hubert Gatignon, Cambridge University Press (New York, NY), 2004; Power in Global Governance, Cambridge University Press (New York, NY), 2005; Past and Future of Central Bank Cooperation, Cambridge University Press (New York, NY), 2007.

Contributor to periodicals, newspapers, and journals, including the International Herald Tribune, Political Science Quarterly, Foreign Affairs, Political Economist, Survival, Ethics and International Affairs, Challenge, International Security, Global Social Policy, World Politics, International Organization, Journal of Economic Perspectives, World Policy Journal, International Labor Review, Current History, Social Research, National Interest, Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Le Monde, and Los Angeles Times.

SIDELIGHTS:

Author, economist, consultant, and educator Ethan B. Kapstein specializes in international economic relations and has written or edited several books about international policy issues. He is the Paul Dubrule Professor of Sustainable Development at INSEAD, in Fontainebleau, France. Kapstein has served in many academic appointments, including more than ten years as lecturer in international business at Harvard University and as Stassen Professor of International Peace at the University of Minnesota. Kapstein has also served as a visiting professor or scholar at a number of universities and institutions throughout the world. As an economist, he has worked as a consultant with many organizations in both the private and public sector, including the World Bank and the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). He also served as the principal administrator of the OECD and the vice president of the Council of Foreign relations, and he has spent time as an international banker and as an officer in the U.S. Navy.

In Downsizing Defense, acting as editor, Kapstein presents ten chapters written by various experts focusing on defense issues such as Congress and the defense budget as well as the effects of the reduction of defense spending on the American economy. In The Insecure Alliance: Energy Crises and Western Politics since 1944, Kapstein writes about how Western allies respond to energy crises and their efforts to achieve energy security in a collective sense. The author also discusses how the allies should and should not cooperate in their efforts and delves into the various agencies that deal with energy crises. Writing in the Business History Review, Bennett H. Wall commented that "it is refreshing to read such a concise and well-structured summary of … threats to the insecure, at times almost fragile, Western alliance."

Kapstein writes about banks and their relations with various governments in his book Governing the Global Economy: International Finance and the State. The author pays special attention to intergovernmental efforts to supervise and regulate banking operations. Writing in Foreign Affairs, Richard N. Cooper called the effort an "eminently readable book."

Sharing the Wealth: Workers and the World Economy is about international economic cooperation and its negative impact on labor, including unemployment, job displacement, income disparity, and job insecurity. Kapstein finds that international economic cooperation and globalization have demonstrated real and particular benefits, but feels that those benefits have not been shared equally or fairly among the many participants. Kapstein reports that economic pressures, the need to compete in the global market, and dwindling discretionary funds have forced many countries and authorities to discontinue social welfare programs, to the serious detriment of people within those countries who need such programs the most. The loss of these social welfare programs is detrimental to the entire economy, as they are necessary to help offset the negative effects of globalization, Kapstein states. Writing in Booklist, David Rouse noted that the author "asserts that improving the lot of labor will only help sustain growth." Kapstein also reminds readers that, historically, there have been considerable economic disruptions when labor is dissatisfied with its share of the rewards.

Kapstein also edited, with Branko Milanovic, When Markets Fail: Social Policy and Economic Reform, which includes seven essays about the move toward European-style welfare systems in various parts of the world. The essays, written by noted economists and sociologists, provide expert analysis of the ways in which emerging and growing market economies of the world are influencing such factors as unemployment compensation, pensions and retirement, and other economic and social programs. The authors look at effects of these new styles of welfare systems on economies in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe. In addition, the writers consider the effects of politics, ideology, history, and other factors. They offer measured conclusions not only on the future of social programs in each region under scrutiny, but also on social programs throughout the world as a whole.

In Economic Justice in an Unfair World: Toward a Level Playing Field, Kapstein marshals considerable intellectual and scholarly resources toward answering a vexing international question: "What does one mean by economic justice in a world cut through by inequalities of income, bargaining power, and human poverty? It is an ambitious theme and the author pursues it with originality and an extraordinary wealth of quotations and references," commented Richard Jolly, writing in Ethics & International Affairs. Kapstein assesses the conditions surrounding this question within the context of four important areas: international trade, foreign aid, migration and labor rights, and private investment.

Kapstein seeks to encourage reform of economic policies throughout the world in order to facilitate and strengthen the application of economic justice. "He rules out the agency of a global or supranational authority or an imperial power, arguing for interstate negotiation as the only viable means of reaching substantive, durable agreements. For agreements to be substantive and durable, they have to be considered fair. To be considered fair, they have to be seen as mutually advantageous," reported Robert H. Wade in Foreign Affairs. Further, Wade continued, "states will see an agreement as mutually advantageous when it enables each of them to maintain its own domestic social compact—in other words, when the agreement respects a state's sovereignty over social norms."

For Kapstein, the "first and most important element of an international compact" that would be beneficial to all participants creates a "free-trade regime that offers a level playing field," Wade noted. "Instituting this free-trade regime requires removing all the devices by which rich countries make it difficult for poor countries to specialize according to their comparative advantages—especially barriers against agricultural and textile goods from developing countries," Wade stated. Further, Kapstein suggests, reciprocity in trade agreements should be more relaxed between countries of unequal economic strength.

In other areas, Kapstein believes that foreign aid should not be centered on reducing poverty in a country, but in leveling the economic playing field that will allow the country's economy to better compete in the international market. He endorses the creation of an international umbrella organization to control migration and transmission of worker remittances from rich to poor countries. He also supports the creation of an umbrella organization to oversee foreign investments in poorer countries, and the creation of a code of conduct for treatment of foreign investors by participating governments.

"Anyone who wants an introduction to questions of moral economic philosophy would do well to start with his book," Wade commented. Jolly called Economic Justice in an Unfair World a "stimulating, well-researched book combining economic analysis, political philosophy, and contemporary policy." Kapstein's analysis assesses the "moral value and effects of economic policies" as they affect both rich and poor nations alike, noted a Reference & Research Book News contributor.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Political Science Review, September, 1991, David E. Spiro, review of The Insecure Alliance: Energy Crises and Western Politics since 1944, p. 1076; December, 1992, Daniel Wirls, review of The Political Economy of National Security: A Global Perspective, p. 1087.

Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, March, 1993, Paul L. Rosen, review of The Political Economy of National Security, p. 196.

Booklist, September 15, 1999, David Rouse, review of Sharing the Wealth: Workers and the World Economy, p. 204.

Business History Review, winter, 1990, Bennett H. Wall, review of The Insecure Alliance, p. 793.

Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, April, 1992, J.A. Rhodes, review of The Political Economy of National Security, p. 1297; June, 1994, D.F. Bletz, review of Downsizing Defense, p. 1653; February, 1995, J. Prager, review of Governing the Global Economy: International Finance and the State, p. 978; July-August, 2000, S.R. Silverberg, review of Unipolar Politics: Realism and State Strategies after the Cold War; November, 2006, C. Kilby, review of Economic Justice in an Unfair World: Toward a Level Playing Field, p. 531.

Comparative Labor Law & Policy Journal, spring, 1999, Paul Edwards, review of Sharing the Wealth, p. 535.

Contemporary Sociology, September, 2003, review of When Markets Fail: Social Policy and Economic Reform, p. 662.

Ethics & International Affairs, September, 2007, Richard Jolly, review of Economic Justice in an Unfair World, p. 387.

Foreign Affairs, summer, 1990, Lucy Edwards Despard, review of The Insecure Alliance, p. 173; spring, 1992, Gregory F. Treverton, review of The Political Economy of National Security, p. 193; September-October, 1994, Eliot A. Cohen, review of Downsizing Defense, p. 151; March-April, 1995, Richard N. Cooper, review of Governing the Global Economy, p. 147; March, 2000, review of Unipolar Politics, p. 158; September-October, 2006, Robert H. Wade, "Questions of Fairness," review of Economic Justice in an Unfair World, p. 136.

Futurist, September-October, 2003, "Public Policy," review of When Markets Fail, p. 62.

Journal of American History, September, 1992, John G. Clark, review of The Insecure Alliance, p. 722.

Journal of Economic Literature, June, 1995, review of Governing the Global Economy, p. 920; March, 1996, Gerard Caprio, review of Governing the Global Economy, p. 144; June, 2000, review of Sharing the Wealth, p. 529; June, 2003, review of When Markets Fail, p. 704; September 1, 2007, Bernard Hoeckman, "International Economics," review of Economic Justice in an Unfair World, p. 753.

Journal of Social, Political, and Economic Studies, summer, 1991, Graham McKinahan, review of The Insecure Alliance, p. 254.

New York University Journal of International Law and Politics, fall, 1991, review of The Insecure Alliance, p. 633.

Orbis, summer, 1990, Patrick Clawson, review of The Insecure Alliance, p. 450; summer, 1992, Patrick Clawson, review of The Political Economy of National Security, p. 467; winter, 1993, Patrick Clawson, review of Defense and Dependence in a Global Economy, p. 166.

Political Science Quarterly, fall, 1991, Charles Issawi, review of The Insecure Alliance, p. 527; spring, 1996, Fred D. Thompson, review of Downsizing Defense, p. 191.

Political Studies, September, 2000, Jonathan Crystal, review of Sharing the Wealth, p. 916.

Prairie Schooner, fall, 1991, review of The Insecure Alliance, p. 527; spring, 1996, review of Downsizing Defense, p. 191.

Reference & Research Book News, June, 1994, review of Downsizing Defense, p. 56; June, 1995, review of Governing the Global Economy, p. 24; August, 1999, review of Unipolar Politics, p. 120; May, 2000, review of Sharing the Wealth, p. 56; November, 2003, review of Income and Influence: Social Policy in Emerging Market Economies, p. 86; November, 2006, review of Economic Justice in an Unfair World.

World Politics, January, 1996, Benjamin J. Cohen, review of Governing the Global Economy, p. 268.