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Keun Lee

Keun Lee

Writing for PS since 2021
20 commentaries

Keun Lee, a former vice chair of the National Economic Advisory Council for the President of South Korea, is Distinguished Professor of Economics at Seoul National University, a fellow at CIFAR, an editor at Research Policy, and the author, most recently, of Innovation-Development Detours for Latecomers: Managing Global-Local Interfaces in the De-Globalization Era (Cambridge University Press, 2024).

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  1. The Chip War Turns Two
    klee22_VCGGettyImages__chinese_semiconductor_fab VCG/GettyImages

    The Chip War Turns Two

    Oct 31, 2024 Keun Lee assesses US efforts to achieve microchip self-sufficiency and impede China’s effort to do the same.

  2. India Needs More Big Businesses
    klee21_JUNG YEON-JEAFP via Getty Images_samsung Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images

    India Needs More Big Businesses

    Aug 30, 2024 Keun Lee considers what it would take for the country to become an economic superpower on par with China.

  3. How South Korea Broke the Development Mold
    klee20_Bernd von Jutrczenkapicture alliance via Getty Images_southkoreatrade Bernd von Jutrczenka/picture alliance via Getty Images

    How South Korea Broke the Development Mold

    Jun 28, 2024 Keun Lee attributes the country's economic success to the government's willingness to stray from prescribed orthodoxy.

  4. What Fiscally Sound Industrial Policy Can Do
    klee19_Gerhard JorenLightRocket via Getty Images_hyundaimanufacturing Gerhard Joren/LightRocket via Getty Images

    What Fiscally Sound Industrial Policy Can Do

    May 2, 2024 Keun Lee highlights three tools that can support domestic-market growth and development without breaking the bank.

  5. Making the Most of FDI
    klee18_Daniel BerehulakGetty Images_shenzhen Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images

    Making the Most of FDI

    Feb 22, 2024 Keun Lee considers what it takes to convert foreign investment into growth, development, and technological upgrading.

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  1. BP trump china MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images

    What Will Trump Do About China?

    US President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to take a confrontational approach to China, with tariffs as his weapon of choice. But unless his administration adopts a measured approach, his plans may end up harming American businesses and consumers, undermining US democracy, or even leading to military confrontation.

  2. 0

    The Big Picture

  3. karman1_getty images_cooperation Getty Images

    Human Progress in the Trump Era

    Tawakkol Karman, et al. propose ways to foster a culture of cooperation at a time of rising conflict and democratic erosion.
  4. frankel166_JemalCountessGettyImages_national_debt Jemal Countess/Getty Images

    Elon Musk’s $2 Trillion Fiscal Fantasy

    Jeffrey Frankel

    It is often said that a businessman like Donald Trump or Elon Musk will know how to put America’s fiscal house in order. But between Trump’s planned tax cuts and Musk’s absurd estimate of how much federal spending can be reduced, the smart money says they have no idea what they are doing.

    dives into the incoming US administration’s absurd claim that fresh tax cuts will not increase the deficit.
  5. buchholz21_getty images_us china Getty Images

    The Deal Trump Should Offer China

    Todd G. Buchholz

    To address what he sees as an unfair Sino-American economic relationship, Donald Trump should focus not on trade but on China's currency manipulation and massive holdings of US debt. After all, why saddle US consumers with higher costs when you can demand reparations directly from a foreign competitor?

    proposes that the incoming US administration push for a debt write-off and market access instead of tariffs.
  6. muzikarova7_NurPhotoGettyImages_cyberconference_poland NurPhoto/Getty Images

    Central and Eastern Europe’s Bid for AI Dominance

    Soňa Muzikárová outlines steps policymakers can take to harness the technology’s potential to boost growth and prosperity.
  7. aosaid1_getty images_tech justice

    Can Technology End Corruption?

    Azalina Othman Said thinks that powerful new digital tools can help, but only if governments commit to upholding the rule of law.
  8. scherger1ARMEND NIMANIAFP via Getty Images_farming ARMEND NIMANI/AFP via Getty Images
    Free to read

    Carbon Farming Won't Save the Planet

    Sophie Scherger warns that soil-storage offsets may serve as a smokescreen for polluting industries.
  9. bildt129_MaximShipenkovGettyImages_valdai_putin_fail Maxim Shipenkov/Getty Images

    Putin’s March of Folly

    Carl Bildt argues that Russia’s president has only his own poor decisions to blame for his country’s loss of status.

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