Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog

Category: economics – Page 183

Putin calls to create powerful international research centers in Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for expanding scientific cooperation with other countries and establishing powerful international research centers in Russia.

“Of course, we were actively involved in preparations to set up these [international scientific] centers. We are currently working there, and working successfully,” he said at a meeting of the Council for Science and Education. “However, we need to establish such centers of our own.”

The president recalled the proposal to establish one of such centers in Novosibirsk. “I believe that’s the right idea,” he stressed. “We will be sure to think about this and implement this project.”

Putin added that Russia is involved in a number of international science projects, in particular, in the work of the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, a thermonuclear reactor in France and a free-electron laser in Germany. According to the president, Russia as a participant in these projects has the right to use their results. “We must think how to use them [these results] effectively for the benefit of the development of the country, its economy and social sphere,” he stressed.

The head of state pointed to the task of supporting young gifted scientists. “All those who show successful results should have an opportunity to build a research career, implement large-scale scientific projects, have a long-term horizon for planning their activities,” he pointed out. “The most important thing is that the path to science should begin for young people during their school years.”

China formulates new policies for autonomous cars in bid to catch up to US

The latest sign of regulatory support comes two months after Beijing became the country’s first city to green light open road test for autonomous cars. The National Development and Reform Commission, China’s top economic planning agency, also unveiled a three-year plan in December, making the development of smart cars a national priority.

The latest sign of national regulatory support comes two months after Beijing became the country’s first city to green light open road test for self driving cars.

The Case for Free Money

A major conservative publication, The Weekly Standard, has published a positive Cover story about Basic Income, as a way to reign in entitlements and deal with automation. My California libertarian governor campaign gets a brief mention in it. Over 100,000 print copies out this week.

At first blush, universal basic income sounds like something dreamed up on a California commune or in a late-night college bull session. The idea: Just give people money. Ask nothing in return. Impose no requirement to work or to look for work. And don’t just give taxpayer money to people living in poverty, give it to everybody—from gazillionaire to gig-worker—no questions asked.

Yet universal basic income is an idea that is having its moment. Enthusiasm for a government-guaranteed income for all seems to be percolating across the country. Groups backed by Silicon Valley luminaries are forming to devise political strategies. Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign flirted with the idea.

Towards a Reskilling Revolution January 2018 Report | World Economic Forum

” … [W]hile there has been much forecasting on transformations in labour markets, few practical approaches exist to identifying reskilling and job transition opportunities. Towards a Reskilling Revolution: A Future of Jobs for All provides a valuable new tool that will help individual workers, companies, and governments to prioritize their actions and investments.”

Read more

Inequality gap widens as ‘world’s richest 1% get 82% of the wealth,’ Oxfam says

Oxfam said its figures, which some observers have criticized, showed economic rewards were “increasingly concentrated” at the top. The charity cited tax evasion, the erosion of worker’s rights, cost-cutting and businesses’ influence on policy decisions as reasons for the widening inequality gap.

Just 42 people own the same amount of wealth as the poorest 50 percent worldwide, a new study by global charity Oxfam claimed.

At less than 1% of GDP, India’s spend on R&D continues to be less than other emerging economies

As compared to India, other BRICS nations — Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa — had spent more of their GDP on research. Most of the developed countries, in fact, spent more than 2 per cent of their GDP on R&D.

India’s gross research spending has consistently been increasing over the years but the country’s total expenditure on R&D continues to be less than 1 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) when other emerging economies, including China and Brazil, invest more money on this head.

Representative image Representative image.

/* */