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Keun Lee

Keun Lee

Writing for PS since 2021
18 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. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. South Korea and the US-China Rivalry
    klee17_Chris JungNurPhoto via Getty Images_south korea Chris JungNurPhoto via Getty Images

    South Korea and the US-China Rivalry

    Dec 22, 2023 Keun Lee shows that, while protectionist policies benefit some firms, the overall effect on third parties is negative.

  5. Time For a Coffee Cartel?
    klee16_CARL DE SOUZAAFP via Getty Images_coffee CARL DE SOUZA/AFP via Getty Images

    Time For a Coffee Cartel?

    Oct 25, 2023 Keun Lee thinks producers in the Global South should consider the option to boost their bargaining power and revenues.

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  1. velasco150_PAUL ELLISAFP via Getty Images_voting PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images

    In Praise of First-Past-the-Post

    Andrés Velasco explains why Britain’s electoral system is better than all the plausible alternatives.
  2. slaughter105_JACK GUEZAFP via Getty Images_womenwagepeace Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

    Peacebuilding in the Middle East Requires Women

    Anne-Marie Slaughter & Xanthe Scharff argue that negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians must no longer be the province of men.
  3. varoufakis117_JULIEN DE ROSAAFP via Getty Images_macron JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images

    Macron and Europe’s Centrists Are Out of Good Options

    Yanis Varoufakis shows that an intractable economic conundrum lies behind the current impasse in French politics.
  4. quesada3_ Lokman Vural ElibolAnadolu via Getty Images_immigration Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Immigration Does Not Start at the US Border

    Carlos Alvarado-Quesada laments the failure of Republicans and Democrats alike to address the root causes of migration.
  5. landau4_Getty Images_AI money Getty Images/Anton Petrus

    Will AI Kill Off Money?

    Jean-Pierre Landau considers some of the underappreciated implications of an economy run entirely by machines.
  6. op_krauze1_Fine Art ImagesHeritage ImagesGetty Images_spinoza Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images

    A Philosopher for Our Times

    Enrique Krauze shows that, given rising illiberalism, the seventeenth-century thinker Baruch Spinoza is as relevant as ever.
  7. snower8_Getty Images Getty Images

    A New Worldview for Troubled Times

    Dennis J. Snower proposes four principles to guide policymaking and global negotiations in the age of climate change.
  8. moyo29_Carl CourtGetty Images_FTSE Carl Court/Getty Images

    Navigating Today’s Frothy Financial Markets

    Dambisa Moyo offers a basic framework for assessing the risk of new bubbles and their potential spillover effects.
  9. asadullah16_ MUNIR UZ ZAMANAFP via Getty Images_bangladesh MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images

    An Arab Spring for Bangladesh?

    M. Niaz Asadullah argues that young protestors could help the country chart a democratic course and achieve sustainable growth.

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