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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. haass174_Mohammad AbushamaAnadolu via Getty Images_ceasefire Mohammad Abushama/Anadolu via Getty Images

    A New Chance for the Middle East

    Richard Haass

    It is said that US President Richard Nixon was able to reach out to Mao’s China because he alone didn’t have to worry about Nixon. Much the same now applies to Donald Trump, who, unlike Joe Biden, is viewed as a friend by Israel’s right-wing government.

    sees hope for long-term ceasefires in Lebanon and Gaza if political leaders recognize their own interests.
  2. naim1_MirrorpixGettyImages_harold_macmillan_resignation Mirrorpix/Getty Images

    The Unpleasant Surprises That Await Trump

    Moisés Naím thinks the US president-elect – and his voters – are in for a rude domestic and international awakening.
  3. subramanian43_Jamie McCarthyGetty Images)_india us Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

    Trump’s Return Is an Opportunity for India

    Arvind Subramanian urges Indian policymakers to align themselves with the incoming US administration’s economic agenda.
  4. adebajo11_Getty Images Dkosig_multilateralism Getty Images DKosig

    Is the G77 the Future of Multilateralism?

    Adekeye Adebajo thinks the bloc’s ability to forge global coalitions positions it to lead international resistance to Trump.
  5. acemoglu80_ Joshua LottGetty Images_democrats Joshua Lott/Getty Images

    The Democrats’ Only Option

    Joseph E. Stiglitz

    Although a variety of factors seem to have contributed to Donald Trump’s victory in this year’s US presidential election, the message for the defeated Democrats is clear. The party must abandon neoliberalism and return to its progressive roots in the presidencies of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson.

    urges the party to reconnect with its New Deal and Great Society roots.
  6. roach172_Anthony KwanGetty Images_asia economy Anthony Kwan/Getty Images

    Asia in Denial

    Stephen S. Roach warns of misguided optimism about the state of China’s economy and Donald Trump’s tariff agenda.
  7. op_whatley11_Chun Shu EyeEm_openbook Chun Shu/EyeEm/Getty Images
    Free to read

    Holiday 2024 Reading List

    PS editors highlight recent recommendations by PS contributors that belong on your holiday shopping list.
  8. davies92_JonathanWilsonGettyImages_bankofengland Jonathan Wilson/Getty Images

    Are Global Banking Rules Finished?

    Howard Davies wonders if the Basel Committee’s recommendations on minimum capital requirements will ever be implemented now.
  9. choffman1_Andrew LichtensteinCorbis via Getty Images_amazon union Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

    Amazon Is Busting Democracy, Not Just Unions

    Christy Hoffman explains why the company’s efforts to quash labor organizing should concern everyone.

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