Daily Policy Digest

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

• Finding Sources of Rare Earths beyond China

  In 2008, factories outside of China used nearly 60,000 tons of rare earths; in the past two years, however, China has limited exports to just 30,000 tons per year, driving up global prices, says H. Sterling Burnett, a senior fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis...

• High Unemployment the New Normal

  In April 2012, labor force participation was 63.4, the lowest rate since January 1981...

• How Not to Cure Chronic Diseases

  Drug manufacturers recoup their research and development costs for only one in five approved drugs -- a decline from the one in four figure of about a decade ago...

• Facebook Cofounder Gives Up U.S. Citizenship before Company Goes Public

  A record 1,780 gave up their U.S. passports last year compared with 235 in 2008, according to government records...

• Small Cities Are Becoming New Engine of Economic Growth

  Forbes' Best Cities For Jobs survey found that small and midsized metropolitan areas accounted for 27 of the 30 urban regions in the country that are adding jobs at the fastest rate...