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Lenny Mendonca

Lenny Mendonca

51 commentaries
1 videos & podcasts

Lenny Mendonca, Senior Partner Emeritus at McKinsey & Company, is a former chief economic and business adviser to Governor Gavin Newsom of California and chair of the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

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  1. What Critics of American Higher Education Get Wrong
    tyson117_Eros HoaglandGetty Images_UScollege Eros Hoagland/Getty Images

    What Critics of American Higher Education Get Wrong

    Mar 19, 2024 Laura Tyson & Lenny Mendonca show that a college degree is still a wise investment and a key driver of economic mobility in America.

  2. California Leads the Way on Climate
    tyson116_Kevork DjansezianGetty Images_california Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

    California Leads the Way on Climate

    Dec 28, 2023 Laura Tyson & Lenny Mendonca show how the Golden State has made meaningful progress within and beyond its borders by testing new ideas.

  3. To Protect Democracy, Revive Local Journalism
    tyson115_ Chip SomodevillaGetty Images_local reporters Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    To Protect Democracy, Revive Local Journalism

    Sep 20, 2023 Laura Tyson & Lenny Mendonca identify promising new models and philanthropic initiatives geared toward supporting independent media.

  4. The Local Threat to American Democracy
    tyson114_MARK FELIXAFP via Getty Images_voting Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images

    The Local Threat to American Democracy

    Jul 18, 2023 Laura Tyson & Lenny Mendonca document widening efforts by Republicans and their allies to stifle the will of voters.

  5. Revitalizing American Democracy Where It Counts
    tyson113_ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDSAFP via Getty Images_USvoting Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

    Revitalizing American Democracy Where It Counts

    Feb 21, 2023 Laura Tyson & Lenny Mendonca show how and why ballot initiatives are gaining momentum as a means of overcoming legislative obstruction.

  1. bp india election Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images

    Will India’s Election Destroy Its Democracy?

    Since taking power in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have stoked Hindu nationalism, hollowed out India’s democracy, and overseen an economy that is probably performing far worse than official figures suggest. And yet Modi and the BJP are genuinely popular, making them likely – though not certain – to emerge victorious when the ongoing parliamentary election concludes in June.

  2. benami213_YEHUDA RAIZNERAFP via Getty Images_israelflag Yehuda Raizner/AFP via Getty Images

    The Unbearable Lightness of Anti-Zionism

    Shlomo Ben-Ami warns that demonizing all Israelis will only make peace less likely – though that may be the point.
  3. alfredsdottir1_Getty Images_pay gap Getty Images

    How to Close the Gender Wage Gap

    Lilja Dögg Alfreðsdóttir argues that Iceland’s experience lends further support to Nobel laureate economist Claudia Goldin’s research.
  4. brown107_Jeff J Mitchell - Pool Getty Images_covidvaccine Jeff J. Mitchell/Pool/Getty Images

    Getting the Pandemic Treaty Across the Finish Line

    Gordon Brown

    Just as governments are working tirelessly to conclude negotiations on a new pandemic treaty, a torrent of misinformation and fake news has been unleashed to undermine the process. For the sake of current and future generations, policymakers must resist the propaganda and get the job done.

    hopes negotiations will conclude this month, and pushes back on a last-minute wave of misinformation.
  5. singer231_Michael M. SantiagoGetty Images_college protests Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

    When Is Criticism of Israel Anti-Semitic?

    Peter Singer rejects comparisons of the recent US campus protests to the actions of Nazi student groups in the 1930s.
  6. Project Syndicate

    Trump’s Plans for the Fed Would Revive 1970s-Style Inflation

    Maurice Obstfeld thinks the presumptive GOP nominee’s policies reflect an outdated understanding of the economy.
  7. adebajo5_Getty Images_southafricaelection Sean Gallup/Getty Images

    Mandela’s Heirs Face Their Biggest Election Test

    Adekeye Adebajo explains why the African National Congress could lose its 30-year monopoly on power.
  8. dalmia1_DIBYANGSHU SARKARAFP via Getty Images_bjp DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images

    What Explains the BJP’s Rise?

    Gaurav Dalmia ennumerates the reasons why the ruling party has come to dominate the country’s electoral landscape.
  9. zhang66_STRAFP via Getty Images_chinaelectricvehicles STR/AFP via Getty Images

    Why China Provides Evidence for Optimists and Pessimists Alike

    Zhang Jun explains why rigorous, evidence-based assessments of the economy's performance can diverge sharply.

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