Europe Is Losing the Energy War

CITY JOURNAL …….. Wars are fought on many fronts. So far, Russian president Vladimir Putin is winning the energy war. High energy prices, triggered by supply disruptions, have neutered Western sanctions. Russia’s current account balance stands at record highs.

Cloudification of Skills Training & “Dirty Jobs”

DAKOTA DIGITAL REVIEW ………Competition for the increasing limited supply of those with skills is driving up wages, which is an obvious benefit for the employee, but is also inflationary for the employer’s product or service. And it doesn’t increase the supply until more people are attracted to those trades, and then not until they’re trained.

‘Volt Rush’ Review: Electric Cars, Money and Mines

WALL STREET JOURNAL ……… Among the pandemic’s many disruptions, in early 2021 auto makers cut production because of a shortage of semiconductors. Car manufacturers today already spend more money on silicon than on steel, and that goes double for the makers of electric vehicles (EVs). The mainstream arrival of EVs owes as much to silicon…

Why CHIPS Won’t Change the Game

CITY JOURNAL ……… When Congress passed the CHIPS Act, a bill seeking to boost U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, the Washington Post trumpeted it as “a new era of industrial policy.” One might also call it a version of “capitalism with Chinese characteristics”—a foray into state-directed market policy.

‘Restarting the Future’ Review: You Can’t Touch This, BOOK REVIEW

WALL STREET JOURNAL ……… I was primed to be excited about “Restarting the Future: How to Fix the Intangible Economy” by Jonathan Haskel and Stian Westlake. The book’s core claim is that “the economy is partway through a fundamental change from one that is largely material to one that is based on ideas, knowledge, and…