Richard C. Koo (, ; ; born 1954) is a Taiwanese
economist
An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics.
The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...
living in Japan specializing in
balance sheet recessions. He is Chief Economist at the
Nomura Research Institute.
Early life and education
Koo was born in Kobe. His father,
Koo Kwang-ming, was an activist in the
Taiwan independence movement then living in exile in Japan, and the brother of the prominent Taiwanese businessman
Koo Chen-fu. Koo lived in
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
for 13 years in his youth, and later attended the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
, where he received a B.A. degree in political science and government in 1976.
[ He then proceeded to Johns Hopkins University for graduate school, where he received a M.A. degree in 1981.][
]
Career
Upon graduation from Johns Hopkins University, Koo worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as an economist from 1981 to 1984.[
He then joined Nomura Holdings in 1984 as its first expatriate researcher and a senior economist from 1984 to 1997.][ He later became the chief economist at Nomura Research Institute starting in 1997.][
Landon Thomas wrote about Koo's analysis in late 2011 in ''The'' ''New York Times'', saying that Koo's 2011 "causes, cure, and politics" publication "has gone viral on the Web". Thomas was discussing the divergence between the way the U.S. and British governments addressed the 2008 financial crisis and measures by European governments during the European debt crisis.][Thomas, Landon, Jr.]
"Banks Retrench in Europe While Keeping Up Appearances" (limited no-charge access)
''The New York Times'', December 22, 2011. Retrieved 2011-12-22.
Publications
* (2008) ''The Holy Grail of Macroeconomics - Lessons from Japan's Great Recession'' (John Wiley & Sons)
* (2011
"The world in balance sheet recession: causes, cure, and politics"
''Real-World Economics Review'' (issue no. 58), Nomura Research Institute, Tokyo.
* (2014) ''The Escape from Balance Sheet Recession and the QE Trap: A Hazardous Road for the World Economy'' (John Wiley & Sons)
References
External links
Some of Koo's videos and links are below:
Links
Profile
at the Institute for New Economic Thinking
Videos
*
* at the Institute for New Economic Thinking's (INET) Paradigm Lost Conference in Berlin. April 14, 2012
*
1954 births
Living people
Federal Reserve economists
Institute for New Economic Thinking
Johns Hopkins University alumni
Koo family (Lukang)
Nomura Holdings
Taiwanese economists
Taiwanese people of Hoklo descent
University of California, Berkeley alumni
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