MIT Professors Simon Johnson & Elisabeth Reynolds Talk the future of America's Tech Leadership

Barry Eichengreen's book examines the role of currency in economic history, explaining how monetary systems evolve and affect international relations and domestic policy. Eichengreen draws on decades of research to trace patterns in currency stability, crises, and policy responses across different eras. He offers insights into how political and economic forces shape the design and function of money, including periods of major monetary transformation. The book blends historical narrative with policy analysis to make the subject accessible to a broad audience, highlighting lessons relevant to contemporary monetary challenges. It is valued for clear exposition and authoritative perspective from a leading economic historian.

Edited by MIT professor Elisabeth B. Reynolds with a foreword by Simon Johnson, this book examines six priority technologies critical to US global leadership: critical minerals, semiconductors, drones, biomanufacturing, quantum computing, and advanced manufacturing. Each chapter was written by an MIT expert in the field, addressing how these technologies underpin national security, economic competitiveness, and technological leadership in response to geopolitical rivalries, supply chain vulnerabilities, and energy threats.