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Record-breaking South Carolina measles outbreak nearing 800 cases
The record-breaking measles outbreak in South Carolina has reached nearly 800 cases, making it the largest spread of the disease in the U.S. since it was first declared eliminated at the start of t…
Twenty One Capital: Wen Business, Ser?
Twenty One Capital came public via SPAC merger but has since plummeted by nearly 30% since deal closure. Click here to find out why XXI stock is a Hold.
Investment and Statecraft: The International Politics of Sovereign Wealth Funds - Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
In 1953, Kuwait established the world’s first sovereign wealth fund to invest the country’s oil revenues and generate returns that would reduce its reliance on a single resource. Since then, over 100 separate funds have been created to preserve national wealth and ensure long-term fiscal sustainability. Today, they manage over $10 trillion in global assets. In this discussion with GJIA, political economist Kathryn Lavelle explains the increasingly novel dynamics that surround fund behavior and what the world can come to expect from their growing presence in international financial markets. GJIA: When it comes to the roles sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) play in global markets and politics, what would you say makes them unique? Kathryn Lavelle: Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) operate on behalf of governments as investors. That in itself is a strange relationship. Within them, a core contest takes place between the state’s interests (or sovereign) part of the dynamic, and the money interests (or wealth) part of it, and these two aspects are frequently in contradiction, serving fundamentally different goals. SWFs are also quite fascinating because when you talk to the people who manage these funds, they have an interest in convincing you that the decisions are made almost exclusively on a financial basis—they really will go to great lengths to differentiate their government owners and those who make the management decisions. At the same time, these people ultimately answer to someone in power. Therefore, for most SWFs, it remains deeply unclear who is actually making the investment decisions and for what purposes. Of course, it is not always clear how other vehicles, such as hedge funds and private equity make the decisions they do, but I think what a lot of people find particularly disconcerting about SWFs is that they seem to act on behalf of people who have a different identity from their own. People who could be trying to manipulate politics and markets in a way that would have a long-term effect on their own populations. Regular investors come and go at will, and they only share an interest in profit as far as most of us understand. However, SWFs have that extra “sovereign” part right behind them that obscures their true interest. GJIA: These funds can be found in countries all across the globe, in both authoritarian states and democracies. Would you say SWFs differ in their goals and structures between regime-type? KL: It is not necessarily regime type that makes the goals and structures of SWFs different. It has to do with their economies. Let’s look at a country like China. There’s going to be a debate about exactly how to characterize the regime, but it is a country with many different kinds of sovereign wealth funds, and a particularly opaque state connection to each. At one time, some of the state-owned Chinese oil companies created specialized investment vehicles listed outside Chinese markets that excluded parts of the firms that were more associated with human rights violations. At the same time, the China Investment Corporation (CIC)—China’s largest SWF—draws a lot of concern, not necessarily because of its investment activities, but because of the dynamics of global politics. So, I wouldn’t really tie differences to regime types themselves in a wholesale way, but rather to how such funds are perceived and how they are structured. Saudi Arabia’s SWF is getting all kinds of attention for its involvement in Hollywood, and this takes me right back to when I was a student in the 1980s, when people were concerned about Japanese investment entities buying assets in Hollywood. They aren’t quite the same in financial terms, but it’s the same kind of concern about foreign investment that drives people to be suspicious, and the whole idea that “foreigners are influencing Hollywood.” This holds true across industries, and it reflects where politics are in places like the United States right now. One metric we can try to look at is transparency, where all the funds will tell you, “we are transparent.” The problem you’ll keep running into with this approach is how you value things. When trying to do comparative studies of equity markets, you’ll find that every country doesn’t use Generally Accepted Accounting Principles like we do in the United States. A fund may appear opaque politically and not want people to show what they’re invested in or what their intent with that investment is, but they could also just not be able to report it because of the way it was purchased, or the kinds of shares they purchased. There are some assets out there that really are difficult to put a monetary value on. GJIA: To what extent do domestic politics shape SWF behavior in both the investing “home” country and the recipient “host” country? KL: This depends on the type of fund present and also on the extent to which voters’ political views are able to influence the fund. For example, in a democratic home state like Norway, the SWF doesn’t invest in nuclear weapons or tobacco because of social concerns, but there is a continuing debate over whether it should invest in oil, even though that’s where most of the money comes from. The degree to which Norway will continue to make those investments, and whether they contradict the government’s overall climate goals, is an open question in Norwegian politics. Because of the way the fund’s governance is structured, it may not be easy to resolve. On the other hand, some people consider pension funds, like the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) in Ohio, to be quasi-SWF. They have a very strict separation between the people who make up the management division and the fund owners. No teacher or professor would want to invest in things that may harm the future of their students. At the same time, a fund manager might see an opportunity in a diversified multinational corporation that offers a good return, despite it deriving part of its revenue from e-cigarettes. These contests are very apparent. Domestic politics can work in host countries too. A good example is Singapore’s SWF, Temasek, investing in Thailand’s telecommunications sector. If you study political economy, you already know that countries everywhere are uncomfortable with foreign ownership of their telecom sectors because a foreign entity could monitor or manipulate our communications with each other. In the case of Temasek, there was significant pushback from Thai citizens surrounding the deal, which went on to influence national political sentiment toward Singapore as a whole, underscoring the risks some SWFs may face with their investment choices. In this case, fund behavior led to the dissolution of the entire Thai government in 2006 and a subsequent coup d’état. GJIA: To address some of this unease, the Santiago Principles were established in 2009 to ostensibly promote trust and transparency. From your perspective, have these mechanisms actually changed fund behavior? KL: In international relations theory, we always like to have a clear set of norms and best practices—the orientation we want the proverbial ship to be going in. In that regard, the Santiago Principles at least got the discussion going about which direction SWFs should take at a time when people were very skittish about the growing size of these funds. Nobody wanted them to be out there and potentially destabilizing economies, so talks about disclosure, conditions for withdrawal, and the independence of managers were helpful when initiated. The biggest stumbling block was that there wasn’t exactly a good way to measure compliance with the Principles, let alone how to hold funds to them. If you read the Principles, they’re overall quite vague. In general, a fund doesn’t want to reveal how and why they make certain investment decisions because that information is proprietary—a fund makes money off of how and why it makes decisions—so how do you reconcile that with loosely-defined ideas of openness? Some decisions might have a political purpose. The bottom line is that trying to figure out and assign a score to compliance is not easy, and it is therefore the reason why the Santiago Principles never really got off the ground to the point where they could truly direct fund behavior. GJIA: Many emerging markets are looking to build their own SWFs from mineral and oil revenues. Historically, have funds shaped development trajectories in these countries? KL: I think the big story in international emerging markets investment is that the investment is increasingly no longer unidirectional. In the past multinational corporations of primarily Western background were the main form of foreign direct investment in a country. That has changed dramatically, to the point where you have companies from so-called “developing countries” taking over companies in the United States. Therefore, the landscape of international investment has changed, and I think SWFs are certainly a possibility to be the next step in the game. Historically, you didn’t need an entire financial vehicle to reinvest commodity revenues in your country, but as emerging markets get more financially sophisticated, their capacity to operate such funds has increased. SWFs would allow treasuries to move from relying on holding foreign exchange assets like cash or government bonds to having broader financial markets and targeted growth areas, while easing pressure on welfare expenditures. GJIA: With their increasing financial weight, do you see the presence of SWFs being a factor in the political choices leaders will have to make with regard to domestic and foreign policy? KL: It will depend on just how big the funds get. One of the reasons people are already apprehensive is because of their scale, and if certain SWFs in certain countries achieve a large-enough size, the presence will absolutely be cause for concern. The other factor political leaders will have to consider are their objectives. It’s not always clear how to define a SWF, or even where its activity is concentrated, but it is certainly a worry from the perspective of national security of opaque external investment. More than that, I think one of the most interesting questions going forward is whether the United States, the home to the world’s largest financial markets, will develop its own fund, for which the Trump administration announced a plan. There have also been several proposals in Congress. Were it to come into being, it would have tremendous weight. At the same time, one of the hallmarks of U.S. capitalism is a lack of government ownership of shares, so it would not be clear how such a fund would be received in domestic politics, or which direction it would take. Given how politically fragmented the country is, a Democratic administration would likely be concerned about different sectors of the economy, such as healthcare, and want investment there, rather than a Republican administration, which might prefer defense industries. No investment vehicle could thrive under conditions of such instability. Moreover, it remains unclear where the money to fund a theoretical U.S. SWF would come from. It would be a fundamentally different entity depending on whether it is financed with debt, economic surplus, commodities, or the sale of state companies, as in the case of Singapore. If it is debt, or government borrowing of some form, then the fund would have to outperform whatever the cost of that debt is, which is not an easy thing to do. I think our political leaders have enough on their plate. Our system has worked well keeping political and investment functions generally separate. We have seen different forms of business rise and fall, and even the perception of different countries, all of which funds are tied to. Unless a major SWF either starts—like in the case of the United States—or collapses—an issue that concerns the Saudis, I don’t see any political tsunamis on the horizon. . . . Kathryn Lavelle is the Ellen and Dixon Long Professor of World Affairs at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Her research explores the exchange between domestic and international and political institutions with a particular emphasis on political economy and multilateralism. Dr. Lavelle’s first book, The Politics of Equity Finance in Emerging Markets, explored the political circumstances that surround large issues of stock in the developing world. After being granted tenure at Case Western, she was awarded an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship and named the William A. Steiger fellow, a designation given to the most promising political scientist in her class of fellows. While in Washington during 2006-2007, she worked on the staff of the House Committee on Financial Services on issues related to domestic and international monetary policy. Dr. Lavelle holds a PhD in political science from Northwestern University; an M.A. in government and foreign affairs from the University of Virginia; and a bachelor’s degree in international economics from Georgetown University. She is a permanent member of the New York Council on Foreign Relations. This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and length. Interview conducted by Sid Mehrotra. Image Credit: Jason Leung, Unsplash Content Licenses, via Unsplash
How has your local high street changed since 2019? Check your postcode
The makeup of Great Britain’s high streets has changed dramatically. See what the data says about where you live
Investing in high performance sports
Germany’s athletes have received increasing funding and support since the Olympic Games Munich 1972, support that has translated into greater success at the highest level.
Trump’s Choice to Be Alabama’s Next Senator Finds an Odd Political Target: the Modern Gas Can
ENTERPRISE, Ala.—U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, a longtime political figure in this rural Alabama community, has his priorities. Among them? A reform effort aimed at the modern gas can. A congressman since 2021, the Republican may be headed toward one of the most powerful positions in Yellowhammer State politics, a seat in the U.S. Senate, given […]
India reports two Nipah virus infections as Thai, Malaysia step up screening
India is monitoring Nipah virus infections, with two reported from its eastern state of West Bengal since December, the health ministry said, as some Southeast Asia nations step up scrutiny of air travellers.
Measles cases in South Carolina surpasses 2025 Texas outbreak
State health officials reported that 89 new measles cases have been confirmed since Jan. 23, bringing the total number of cases to 789.
Harley's late goal lifts Stars past Blues, 4-3
Thomas Harley’s goal with just over a minute left short-circuited a late rally by the St. Louis Blues and lifted the Dallas Stars to a 4-3 win on Tuesday night. Matt Duchene scored a pair of goals for his first multigoal game since Feb. 8. Roope Hintz also scored and Jake Oettinger made 23 saves, as the Stars won for the third time in their last four games and improved to 10-2-1 against St. Louis going back to Nov. 28, 2022.
DePaul's mission: Replicating home success at Georgetown
DePaul is off to its best start in Big East play since 2015, but there's still opportunity for improvement.
Keir Starmer flies to China for three-day visit
He is the first British prime minister to travel to Beijing since Theresa May in 2018.
Measles cases in South Carolina rise by 89 to 789, state health department says
South Carolina reported a surge to 789 measles cases on Tuesday, state health data showed, including 89 additional infections since Friday, as officials warned the widening outbreak could last weeks or months amid lagging vaccine uptake.
South Carolina measles outbreak is largest in US since measles was declared eliminated
The fast-growing measles outbreak in South Carolina is now the largest in the United States since the disease was declared eliminated in this country more than two decades ago.
Sonos unveils its first new hardware product in over a year
Sonos has had a rough past couple of years, but the company just unveiled its first new hardware product since 2024: the Amp Multi.
On Immigration, the G.O.P. Finds Itself in a Shocking Place: On Defense
Since President Trump’s rise, the issue has been a strength for the party. But now, after the chaos in Minnesota, Democrats see an opening and some Republicans worry that Mr. Trump is going too far.
National retail chain closing its clothing stores across LA, including at the Riverwalk outlets
Open since 1999, women’s clothing chain had more than 450 locations across the U.S.
Jaylen Brown Reacts To ‘Weird’ Reunion With Former Celtics Stars
Nineteen months after beating the Dallas Mavericks together in the 2024 NBA Finals, Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday shared a court as rivals rather than teammates. Brown’s Boston Celtics hosted Holiday’s Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night at TD Garden. It was Holiday’s first time facing his former team since being traded to the Trail […]
‘Frightening situation’: Bangladesh elections haunted by political violence
At least 16 political activists have been killed since elections were announced in December.
White House shows first signs of retreat as backlash grows over Minnesota killing
President Donald Trump on Monday showed his first signs of retreat since surging federal immigration agents in Minnesota late last year — replacing the leader of the crackdown on the ground and signaling new willingness to cooperate with the state’s Democratic elected officials.
Stars, Blues face off in rematch of struggling squads
The Dallas Stars have been struggling to regain traction since before the holiday break.
UFC's first Paramount+ fight card averages nearly 5 million views
UFC's first fight card on Paramount+ averaged nearly 5 million views, making it the streaming platform's largest exclusive live event since it launched in March 2021. UFC 324 from Las Vegas on Saturday averaged 4.96 million for the main card and saw a global household average of 7.18 million, according to Adobe Analytics and Channel Partner Data. Adobe Analytics and Nielsen also said Saturday's card reached more homes than any other live UFC event in nearly a decade across linear, broadcast and streaming.
Trump admin deports Iranians for first time since brutal crackdown on protests
The Trump administration sent about a dozen Iranians back on a deportation flight Sunday, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
Apple introduces new AirTag with better range and a louder speaker
This is the first major upgrade since Apple introduced AirTags five years ago.
White House Wobbles, Distancing Trump From Initial Response to Minnesota Killing
Officials clearly understood that the fatal shooting of a demonstrator posed one of the gravest political threats to President Trump since his inauguration.
In downtown Wilmington, Live Oak shutting down inclusive small business center
Live Oak Bank is turning Channel off. Described by Live Oak as an inclusive small business center, Channel opened in November 2021 to serve as a free resource for small business owners, helping numerous minority-owned and other small businesses from its headquarters downtown at 106 Market St. "After careful consideration, we’ve decided to bring Channel ... to a close at the end of this month. Live Oak determined that the needs of Wilmington’s small business community have evolved. Since Channel opened, the local small business ecosystem has grown significantly, with many strong organizations now offering education, technical assistance and community programming for entrepreneurs," stated Claire Parker, managing director of corporate communications for Live Oak Bank, in an email Monday. "With those resources firmly in place, Live Oak is refocusing on what we do best – providing banking and financing solutions that help small businesses grow and thrive." Channel's demise also resulted in the elimination of two positions – those of Channel's director, Chakema Clinton-Quintana, and Atiba Johnson, the certified professional business advisor (CPBA) at Channel. On Monday, Clinton-Quintana, who was elected to the Wilmington City Council in November, said of her immediate plans after Channel: "I will continue my work serving the public while I look for other full-time opportunities." She said Channel "served over 1,000 small business owners in the greater Wilmington area, as well as some of the surrounding areas, such as Brunswick and Pender. A lot of folks had reached out to us needing those resources because they were free, and we were able to assist them in that capacity." Johnson said he will be devoting his time to the Wilmington Minority Chamber of Commerce, which is not affiliated with the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce. The minority chamber is celebrating its launch from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Wilmington Sportsman Club, 1111 Castle St., Wilmington. Johnson, the founder and executive director of the new chamber, said about 50 businesses are on board to join the Wilmington Minority Chamber of Commerce. According to a news release, the new chamber "was established to foster growth, networking, and advocacy for underrepresented business owners. By providing essential resources and community engagement, the chamber aims to build a more inclusive and prosperous local economy." Johnson said the creation of the new chamber is in response to "lapses in funding, education, advocacy for minority businesses...Some of the things that are going on now just don't reach all the way down to those businesses." For Lynne Jones, owner of LJ Design Studio LLC, the loss of Channel also means a reduction in income. She had contracted with Channel to run the center's social media and to provide some marketing for small business owners. "It's pretty disappointing to hear that it is closing...it was a place to connect with other small business owners and collaborate. It was like a family for those of us who were there. If you had issues or things that you needed to talk through concerning your business, there was always someone there that you could sit down with and talk things through, recalibrate, and they set you off on your way to make that pivot and move in a different direction," Jones said Monday. She said she worked with many Channel participants creating their websites and will miss seeing the joy on their faces when those websites were up and running. Dawn McDowell, owner of Creatively Covered Co. LLC, credits Channel with helping her business grow and regrow after her social media pages were hacked and shut down in 2023. "Channel was a great resource for small businesses, for women-owned businesses, for minority-owned businesses; they provided a lot of assistance, especially when you needed it," McDowell said. "If it wasn't for Channel, I don't know if I'd be where I am now, in my business, and regrowing my business and even finding out about some of the certifications and things that were out there for small businesses that I just didn't know about ... because there was no one really sharing that information for small businesses, for minority- and women-owned businesses in particular." Parker said shutting down Channel was not part of an overall cost-cutting plan. She stated in the email, "Live Oak’s commitment to Wilmington remains strong. We are continuing to support entrepreneurs by focusing our efforts where we deliver the greatest value – through specialized banking and financing solutions aligned with our mission to be America’s small business bank." As for Channel's downtown office, Live Oak had leased the 5,000-square-foot space above Seabird restaurant in 2021. The bank’s lease for the office is up in March, Parker said.
TABOR and the Colorado Constitution’s fiscal Gordian Knot
A corporate president advised me once there are two kinds of lawyers: “those who tell you why you can’t do things and those who figure out how to get things done anyway.” He only hired the latter. Since the adoption of the TABOR amendment in 1992, the Colorado legislature has opted for counsel from the […]
New Mexico law has triggered review of two health care mergers since 2024
Lawmakers and advocates argue the law still has loopholes allowing some private equity transactions to avoid scrutiny.
Venezuela releases over 100 political prisoners
Under pressure from the US, Venezuela has been freeing hundreds of political prisoners in recent weeks since US forces kidnapped former leader Nicolas Maduro.
Lucas Raymond Reaches Red Wings Mark Untouched Since Henrik Zetterberg
Lucas Raymond became the first Detroit Red Wings forward to reach three straight seasons of at least 40 assists since Henrik Zetterberg did so in five straight seasons from 2007-08 to 2011-12.
Player review: Robbie Ray
Highs and lows for Ray in his first full season as a Giant, and first full season on the mound since 2022
Target CEO Joins Minnesota Businesses Urging ‘Deescalation’ After Latest Shooting In Minneapolis
At least two U.S. citizens have been shot and killed by federal agents since a major operation began in Minnesota.
Venezuela frees dozens of political prisoners, human rights group says
It is the latest batch of detainees freed since the US seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a raid.
7 CarPlay Features Apple Recently Added To Your Vehicle
Apple CarPlay features widgets, Live Activities, and the Liquid Glass design since iOS 26 was introduced. Other changes have made it even better than before.
Are Xbox and Playground making the right move sticking so closely to Fable's history?
Can you believe it's been over a decade and a half since the last proper Fable? That's a long wait for anything, but in…
Milei says moon mission satellite shows efficient science spending. Researchers disagree
An Argentine small satellite will be part of the first crewed mission to the moon since 1972 — but scientists say that’s not the flex Milei thinks it is
Trump threatens Canada with 100% tariffs over China deal
The warning comes days after Mark Carney delivered a speech in Davos, where he opined on the changing face of global politics since Trump's election.
Mikaela Shiffrin makes first giant slalom podium since 2024 crash
Mikaela Shiffrin finishes third, her first giant slalom podium since November 2024 crash that left her with puncture wound and PTSD
‘Highguard’ Breaks Silence, Will First Discuss The Game On Release Day
For the first time since its reveal at The Game Awards, Highguard has broken its silence and talked about when it is going to talk about the game, finally.
Hearts v Celtic: Pick of the stats
Celtic have won all seven of their league games under Martin O'Neill in 2025-26, conceding just one goal in the process. It's as many league wins as they have in 15 games under Brendan Rodgers (P9 W5 D2 L2) and Wilfried Nancy (P6 W2 D0 L4) combined this season. Hearts have won six of their past seven league games, including all three in 2026 since a 3-2 defeat to rivals Hibernian in December.
Saginaw family turns children’s pretend food truck into thriving taco business
The family-run business started out serving only their beloved tamales. Sis-N-Bros Tacos has since morphed into food truck and a vendor at SVRC Marketplace with an expanded menu of Mexican favorites.
Four Washington Post-affiliated journalists who have been targeted over their work
Ten years since his release from wrongful detention in Iran, Jason Rezaian highlights four other Washington Post-affiliated journalists who have been targeted over their work.
Egor Chinakhov has been making a difference for the Penguins
Egor Chinakhov has made an instant splash since joining the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 24-year old has been able to unlock his talents, which are readily apparent. Chinakhov has scored five goals and added one assist in his 12-game stint with the Penguins. On the surface that isn’t overwhelming. With more context, it stands out since […]
Downtown Albany businesses see fresh momentum for 2026
Despite a decrease in foot traffic since the coronavirus pandemic, downtown Albany business owners remain hopeful.
The Cost of Ignoring Fossil Fuel Pollution’s Health Impacts
From our collaborating partner Living on Earth, public radio’s environmental news magazine, an interview by Steve Curwood with Dr. Vanessa Kerry at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Ever since the Six Cities study, led by Harvard University’s public health experts, first found in the 1990s that coal power plant smokestacks were […]
In Trump Markets, Sudden Volatility Is Price of Doing Business
The abrupt threat of US tariffs on Europe triggered one of the most synchronized market selloffs this week since the pandemic — and had traders second-guessing once-reliable hedges.
Arsenal 'just missing goals'
The "one final thing" that Arsenal must get right is scoring goals, according to head coach Renee Slegers. The Gunners have failed to find the net in two of their three matches since returning from the Women's Super League winter break, most recently drawing a blank in their 1-0 League Cup semi-final loss to Manchester United on Wednesday. "We have been performing well, apart from scoring," said Slegers in her pre-match news conference on Friday.
French Business Activity Falls as Budget Drama Curbs Demand
Business activity in France shrank for the first time since October as political turmoil over the country’s budget weighed on demand.
Sacramento County sees fewer food vendor complaints during first year of new regulations
Sacramento County gets hundreds of complaints each year over roadside food vendors, and it's now been a year since county leaders passed new regulations designed to crack down on those businesses illegally selling food.
Rick Caruso says decision not to run for political office had to do with well-being of his family
Making his first comments since announcing last week that he will not run for political office, Rick Caruso said what motivated his decision was that he felt the well-being of his family could be at risk.
Marquette Men’s Basketball Big East Preview Primer: at Butler
Can the Golden Eagles win two straight games for the first time since the first week of the season?
Bondi shooting: how Australian politics descended into ugliness in attack's aftermath
Political spats brewing since the tragedy last month have overshadowed a national day of mourning.
How Patriots’ Josh McDaniels Appraised Broncos QB Jarrett Stidham
The New England Patriots will encounter a familiar face when opposing Jarrett Stidham in an unexpected AFC Championship Game showdown. With a Super Bowl spot on the line, Stidham will make his first NFL start since the 2023 season. New England’s former fourth-round pick replaces Bo Nix, who broke his ankle at the end of […]
Napa County child confirmed to have measles in county's first case since 2012
The Market, Greenport health food store and cafe, to close Jan. 31 after 38 years on Front Street
Since 1989, The Market has carried organic and specialty foods including prepared dishes, plus home goods and cleaning items.
Clay board approves rezoning of former Hinerwadel's Grove site
It’s been four years since the town of Clay rejected a different proposal.
Alarm as US mulls prioritising citizens in research funding
A senior White House official said the Trump administration is considering ways to prioritise research funding to American citizens, triggering alarm in the research community that the country could destroy its century-long status as a magnet for overseas talent.Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), said last week that it is “important for us to continue to emphasise the use of federal R&D dollars towards American scientists and technologists that are staffed by Americans in their labs.” Asked about support for Chinese students during a Congressional hearing, Kratsios went on to say that in future funding announcements, the OSTP would “emphasise” that “we're funding American students.”The precise meaning of his impromptu comments, and what they could mean in policy terms, isn’t yet clear. The OSTP did not respond to multiple requests for clarification from Science|Business.But given that US science and technology has relied on overseas talent for the past century, Kratsios’s words have alarmed former US science officials.Immigrants have made up around 30-40% of US Nobel Prize winners since the 1940s, for example. Except for some sensitive projects, countries typically grant research funding on a nationality-blind basis, lest they deter foreign scientists from immigrating. “If director Kratsios’s statements are taken literally and become official policy of the White House, [research-intensive] universities will likely have to close labs if not entire research divisions,” said David Biggs, a former science and technology official in the US State Department. In their most extreme interpretation, Kratsios’s comments would imply that foreign scientists established in the US would see access to funding curtailed. This would “result in many world-leading professors who work in the United States in fields that this administration considers a priority (like fusion energy, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing) leaving the country,” said Cole Donovan, a former US science diplomat, and now associate director at the Federation of American Scientists.CripplingHowever, given the context of the conversation, Kratsios may have been referring more narrowly to funding for doctoral or postdoctoral students. At the hearing, he said he wanted to see labs staffed by US citizens. But even this would have devastating consequences for the US science system, say former officials, because the country is so dependent on early-career foreign researchers. Recent statistics show that nearly half of those in the US with a PhD in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) are considered short-term visitors, or non-residents in the official terminology. If this included residents who are not yet citizens, the proportion would likely be even higher. “Foreign PhD students are really a significant and core part of the university STEM workforce, and postdocs is similarly large,” said Donovan. Preventing US-based academics from hiring them from overseas would be a serious blow, he said. “If it's the case that this administration intends to limit funding to labs staffed only with US citizens, the effect will be to cripple the American scientific enterprise,” said Chris Marcum, a former OSTP official. “To think that these researchers can simply be replaced is a pipe dream. The labs will close,” said Marcum. Go elsewhereAround half of US-trained postdocs are foreign-born, said Biggs. “If these top international students cannot get funding to do their research, or even if they hear that funding for foreign students has been greatly restricted and will be super competitive, they will no longer choose to study in the US and will go elsewhere.” It’s unclear for now if Kratsios’s comments will translate into a real policy shift. But they could add to turmoil in the US science system since Donald Trump took over as president one year ago. Related articlesNIH turmoil risks reciprocal EU-US access to health research fundingUS set to close office responsible for global science and technology dealsTrump halts new NIH grants to international health-research partnersSince then, nearly 8,000 grants at the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation have been frozen or terminated, Naturereports. Courts have overturned most of these cancellations, but the disruption caused remains significant. Both those agencies have also dished out around a quarter fewer grants this year than normal, the journal reported. International student enrolment is also down by 17%. The Trump administration also proposes to cut research budgets by around a third, although Congress may mollify the cuts.
Alarm over US plan to prioritise citizens in research funding
The US’s leading science official has said the country will focus its research spending on scientists with US citizenship, triggering alarm that the country could destroy its century-long status as a magnet for overseas talent.Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), said last week that it is “important for us to continue to emphasise the use of federal R&D dollars towards American scientists and technologists that are staffed by Americans in their labs.” Asked about support for Chinese students during a Congressional hearing, Kratsios went on to say that in future funding announcements, the OSTP would “emphasise” that “we're funding American students.”Kratsios’s precise meaning, and what it could mean in policy terms, isn’t yet clear. The OSTP did not respond to multiple requests for clarification from Science|Business.But given that US science and technology has relied on overseas talent for the past century, Kratsios’s words have stunned former US science officials.Immigrants have made up around 30-40% of US Nobel Prize winners since the 1940s, for example. Except for some sensitive projects, countries typically grant research funding on a nationality-blind basis, lest they deter foreign scientists from immigrating. “If director Kratsios’s statements are taken literally and become official policy of the White House, [research-intensive] universities will likely have to close labs if not entire research divisions,” said David Biggs, a former science and technology official in the US State Department. In their most extreme interpretation, Kratsios’s comments would imply that foreign scientists established in the US would see access to funding curtailed. This would “result in many world-leading professors who work in the United States in fields that this administration considers a priority (like fusion energy, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing) leaving the country,” said Cole Donovan, a former US science diplomat, and now associate director at the Federation of American Scientists.CripplingHowever, given the context of the conversation, Kratsios may have been referring more narrowly to funding for doctoral or postdoctoral students. At the hearing, he said he wanted to see labs staffed by US citizens. But even this would have devastating consequences for the US science system, say former officials, because the country is so dependent on early-career foreign researchers. Recent statistics show that nearly half of those in the US with a PhD in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) are considered short-term visitors, or non-residents in the official terminology. If this included residents who are not yet citizens, the proportion would likely be even higher. “Foreign PhD students are really a significant and core part of the university STEM workforce, and postdocs is similarly large,” said Donovan. Preventing US-based academics from hiring them from overseas would be a serious blow, he said. “If it's the case that this administration intends to limit funding to labs staffed only with US citizens, the effect will be to cripple the American scientific enterprise,” said Chris Marcum, a former OSTP official. “To think that these researchers can simply be replaced is a pipe dream. The labs will close,” said Marcum. Go elsewhereAround half of US-trained postdocs are foreign-born, said Biggs. “If these top international students cannot get funding to do their research, or even if they hear that funding for foreign students has been greatly restricted and will be super competitive, they will no longer choose to study in the US and will go elsewhere.” It’s unclear for now if Kratsios’s comments will translate into a real policy shift. But they could add to turmoil in the US science system since Donald Trump took over as president one year ago. Since then, nearly 8,000 grants at the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation have been frozen or terminated, Naturereports. Courts have overturned most of these cancellations, but the disruption caused remains significant. Both those agencies have also dished out around a quarter fewer grants this year than normal, the journal reported. International student enrolment is also down by 17%. The Trump administration also proposes to cut research budgets by around a third, although Congress may mollify the cuts.
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