South Korea's Presidential Election: Beyond Mudslinging, What Gives?
The 2022 South Korean presidential campaign has focused largely on personal attacks and allegations of corruption with little attention being paid to pressing issues facing the nation. The absence of meaningful policy debate and clarity on policy deliverables will continue to leave the South Korean electorate largely uninformed about what may be the most important decision they will make in 2022. (Source: The RAND Blog)
Source: The RAND Blog - January 3, 2022 Category: Health Management Authors: Soo Kim Source Type: blogs
The Top Seven Reasons to Oppose New Semiconductor Subsidies
Scott Lincicome and Ilana BlumsackAs the global semiconductorshortage persists, chipmakers have renewed theirefforts to convince Congress to hand them tens of billions of taxpayer dollars. Earlier this year, the U.S. Senatepassed a $52 billion subsidy package for this very purpose. Its fate remains unclear in the House of Representatives, but a vote on some sort of government support for domestic chip production is expected in the coming weeks (though perhaps after the new year). Before members vote again on any such subsidies, however, we provide below seven reasons why broad, strings-free subsidization of U.S. semiconduc...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - December 17, 2021 Category: American Health Authors: Scott Lincicome, Ilana Blumsack Source Type: blogs
Mike Lee Proposes Paring Back Protectionism to Address Port Woes
Colin GrabowOne unpleasant discovery for many Americans during 2021 has been thewoeful state of the country ’s ports, which have struggled to accommodate a deluge of demand for imported goods. To address these shortcomings, the Biden administration and much of Congress have —to the surprise of only the grossly naïve—largely centered their efforts around increased spending.Included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed last month was $17.1 billion for ports, of which more than $11.5 billion will be focused on new construction. That money, onearticle says, “appears set to literally reshape ports ...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - December 15, 2021 Category: American Health Authors: Colin Grabow Source Type: blogs
On EV Tax Credits, What ’s Proponents’ Real Objective?
Scott Lincicome and Ilana BlumsackNestled in the ginormous,multi ‐trillion‐dollar“Build Back Better” package that just passed the House is a bonus for not just buying American, but buyingunion. In particular, congressional Democrats and the White House have proposed that electric vehicle consumersreceive a $12,500 refundable tax credit if they purchase an EV made at an American factory employing unionized workers. The subsidy declines, however, to $8000 if the vehicle is made at a non‐union U.S. plant and it drops another $500 if the car’s battery isn’t American‐made. Starting in 2027, moreov...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - November 19, 2021 Category: American Health Authors: Scott Lincicome, Ilana Blumsack Source Type: blogs
Cactus Spine-Inspired Sweat Collection Technology
A team of researchers at the Pohang University of Science & Technology in South Korea created a passive sweat collection device that is inspired by cactus spines. The device is intended as a means to collect sweat for biomedical analysis; for instance, to measure glucose levels in patients with diabetes. Having the ability to operate without a power source, the patch can passively collect tiny amounts of sweat efficiently, helping to unlock the potential of sweat analysis technology.
Sweat analysis holds enormous promise as a way to diagnose and monitor a variety of diseases. The basic idea is that a pa...
Source: Medgadget - November 9, 2021 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Dermatology Materials Medicine Sports Medicine pohang Source Type: blogs
In Biden ’s Steel Tariff Deal with Europe, Trump’s Trade Policy Lives On
Inu Manak andScott LincicomeThis weekend, the White House announced anarrangement with the European Union (EU) to suspend longstanding tensions over U.S. “national security” tariffs on steel and aluminum imports implemented in 2018. Many news outlets have described the agreement as a significant change in course for U.S. trade policy – a “roll back” of President Trump’s tariffs and shift away from a policy of bellicose bilateralism toward s one more supportive of trade and U.S. allies. Look a little more closely, however, and we see that the deal merely replaces the tariffs with a different, more opaque and dis...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - November 2, 2021 Category: American Health Authors: Inu Manak, Scott Lincicome Source Type: blogs
Biden and His Foreign Policy Team At Least Need to Get on the Same Page Regarding Taiwan
Ted Galen CarpenterStatements by the Biden administration about U.S. policy toward Taiwan have taken on a very disturbing pattern. The latest episode occurred on October 21 during a CNN town hall session when the president was asked whether the United States would defend Taiwan from an attack by the People ’s Republic of China (PRC). Bidenresponded unhesitatingly: “Yes, we have a commitment. ” He flatly misstated what U.S. policy has been since Washington established formal diplomatic relations with the PRC in 1979 and adopted theTaiwan Relations Act (TRA) to clarify economic and cultural ties with Tai...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - October 25, 2021 Category: American Health Authors: Ted Galen Carpenter Source Type: blogs
Did Industrial Policy Really Boost the South Korean Economy?
Jeffrey Miron and Pedro Braga SoaresA recentworking paper by Jaedo Choi and Andrei A. Levchenko claims that industrial policy in South Korea has had sizeable long ‐term benefits:This paper provides causal evidence of the impact of industrial policy on firms ’ long‐term performance and quantifies industrial policy’s long‐term welfare effects. Using a natural experiment and unique historical data during the Heavy and Chemical Industry (HCI) Drive in South Korea, we find large and persistent effects of firm ‐level subsidies on firm size. Subsidized firms are larger than those never subsidized even...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - October 19, 2021 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey Miron, Pedro Braga Soares Source Type: blogs
North Korea's'Business as Usual' Missile Provocations
North Korea in recent weeks has revved up its cycle of missile provocations, its go-to method of securing leverage against the United States and South Korea in the on-again off-again nuclear negotiations. How will the United States and South Korea choose to respond? (Source: The RAND Blog)
Source: The RAND Blog - October 14, 2021 Category: Health Management Authors: Soo Kim Source Type: blogs
Other Countries ’ Industrial Policies Don’t Justify Our Own
Scott LincicomeCato today published my newWhite Paper on the perils of American industrial policy, and the timing couldn ’t be better. The Senate, for example, has passed theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill) and theU.S. Innovation and Competition Act, each of which contain numerous subsidies and other measures intended to boost American manufacturing and compete with China. Those bills now sit with the House, which is also considering a bunch of industrial policy proposals, such asspecial tax credits for union ‐made electric vehicles, in President Biden ’s $3.5 trillion ...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - September 28, 2021 Category: American Health Authors: Scott Lincicome Source Type: blogs
Handheld Photoacoustic Device for Lymph Node Assessment
Researchers at Pohang University of Science & Technology in South Korea have developed a handheld photoacoustic device that can locate sentinel lymph nodes near the armpit. The technology could help clinicians to locate the correct lymph node from which to take a biopsy when checking for breast cancer metastases. At present, this process involves using radioactive probes, and so the current system can help patients and healthcare staff to avoid radiation exposure.
The lymph system provides a handy highway through the body for metastasizing cancers. Breast cancers and melanoma often hitch a ride through the lymphatic...
Source: Medgadget - September 23, 2021 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Oncology Surgery Source Type: blogs
The Power of Imagination: A Lesson From David Yonggi Cho
I have been writing about personal effectiveness since 2006. Over time, I have learned more and more about the factors that can help you live a fulfilling life. Recently, one thing that has caught my attention is the power of imagination.
You see, the more I study those who have gone far in their lives, the more I see how imagination plays a role. It’s not the only factor, of course, but it’s often a starting point. When you imagine a future you believe in, that belief will get stronger and will drive actions in that direction. Not only that but also the belief can help you get through a lot of obstacles. You will h...
Source: Life Optimizer - September 17, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Donald Latumahina Tags: Purpose Thinking Source Type: blogs
The Missile Arms Race on the Korean Peninsula Heats Up
Eric GomezIt has been a very busy week for missile tests on the Korean peninsula. North Korea testeda new type of ground ‐launched cruise missile to start the week and launchedtwo short ‐range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) a couple days later. South Korea tested a newconventional submarine ‐launched ballistic missile only a few hours after North Korea ’s SRBM test. South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense also released video footage of several new missile systems, including a supersonic anti ‐ship cruise missile, anair ‐launched land attack cruise missile, and a&nbs...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - September 15, 2021 Category: American Health Authors: Eric Gomez Source Type: blogs
The Trump Administration Actually Thought Imported Cars Were a “National Security” Threat (and the Courts Would’ve Let ‘Em Get Away With It)
Inu Manak andScott LincicomeDo you drive an imported car or one made here by a foreign‐owned company? If so, you may be a serious threat to national security –if a long‐awaited report from the Trump administration is to be believed.No, really.Last week, the Department of Commerce finally released itsreport on U.S. imports of automobiles and certain automotive parts, as part of the Trump administration ’s 2018investigation pursuant to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. While the report was submitted to the president on February 17, 2019, it was not published in the Federal Register, as the la...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - July 15, 2021 Category: American Health Authors: Inu Manak, Scott Lincicome Source Type: blogs
