ITIF Publication, Events and News Articles

Confronting Global Anti-Competitive Market Distortions

afearon — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 13:00:00 +0000

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The past decade has seen a tremendous increase in the extent of anti-competitive market distortions (ACMDs) being introduced throughout the world, particularly in emerging economies such as Brazil, China, and India. These countries have introduced a wide and growing range of “innovation mercantilist” practices such as forced intellectual property (IP) and technology transfer or local production as a condition of market access; IP theft; compulsory licensing of IP; restrictions on cross-border data flows; currency and standards manipulation; and many others, all which distort and damage the global economy. Some of these have always been present but were less disruptive when border barriers were higher, but as border barriers have come down their effect has become much more pronounced. In other cases, as border protection has declined, some industries have sought regulatory or behind-the-border protection.

This event will: (1) document the extent of anti-competitive market distortions U.S. enterprises face in global markets; (2) estimate the economic damages they cause; and (3) offer policy responses for what to do about it, including how to address these ACMDs in new trade agreements the United States is currently negotiating, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an expanded Information Technology Agreement, the Global Agreement on Services, and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. The event will further discuss how the United States can lead development of a new global trade regime that favors rules- and market-based trade and thus better support the modern knowledge- and innovation-based global economy.

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4495

ITIF Debate: Is Technology Responsible for American Job Loss?

afearon — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 15:00:00 +0000

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Since the Great Recession, a long list of books, studies, and news articles have attempted to assign the blame for America’s sustained high levels of unemployment to technology. These academics and journalists argue that factory automation, robots and faster and smarter computers are letting organizations replace workers at an unprecedented pace, leading to joblessness. As MIT professors Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee assert in their book Race Against the Machine, workers are “losing the race against the machine, a fact reflected in today’s employment statistics.”

ITIF will host a unique debate on this critical economic policy issue. Dr. Andrew McAfee, principal research scientist at the Center for Digital Business in the MIT Sloan School of Management and co-author of Race Against the Machine, will argue that technology is leading to job loss and the pace will only speed up. Robert Atkinson, President of ITIF and co-author of Innovation Economics: The Race for Global Advantage, will argue that that technology does not lead to net job loss and that America actually needs faster, technologically-based productivity growth. This event will be webcast live below.

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3937

Masters of Nothing U.S. Book Release Event

afearon — Tue, 28 May 2013 13:00:00 +0000

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In their book Masters of Nothing: Human Nature, Big Finance, and the Fight for the Soul of Capitalism, UK Conservative Party MP’s Matthew Hancock and Nadhim Zahawi argue that a collective failure to understand human nature was the underlying cause of the Great Recession—one of the largest crises in the history of modern capitalism. The MPs argue similar crises will happen again unless policymakers radically rethink their assumptions about human rationality and design systems to accommodate the inevitable flaws and irrationality of individuals, banks, and the economy as a whole.

Conceived as an antidote to the neoclassical-inspired economics textbooks which led pre-crisis thinking astray, this account of the crash is illustrated with gripping stories about the behavior of those who both precipitated and lived through it. Released to critical acclaim in the United Kingdom in May 2012, MPs Hancock and Zahawi visit Washington to introduce an updated, U.S.-focused edition that analyzes Wall Street’s role in precipitating the financial crisis. Please join us as the authors explore how policymakers can introduce reforms designed to fix the relationship between finance and the real economy.

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4489

Surveillance Cameras: Helpful or Harmful?

afearon — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000

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State and local governments have invested millions of dollars in surveillance video technology to improve public safety. Privacy and civil libertarian groups have criticized these technologies as ineffective and inefficient, as well as an unjust intrusion on the privacy of law-abiding citizens. Supporters of these technologies argue that these technologies can support law enforcement activities and help make our cities safer. At this event, supporters and opponents of this technology will debate the pros and cons of surveillance video cameras and related technologies.

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4464

New Book Argues Human Nature Caused the "Great Recession"

afearon — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:00:00 +0000

The Impact of Budget Sequestration on DOD Energy Innovation

afearon — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Despite recent investments in energy innovation, budget sequestration could potentially cut Department of Defense energy research and procurement programs by 25 percent compared to FY2012 funding levels.

Blaming Corporations is Not Good Policy

afearon — Mon, 20 May 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Where’s the Applause? Explaining the Lack of Industry Enthusiasm for NNMI

afearon — Mon, 20 May 2013 04:00:00 +0000

The reasons behind the lack of corporate support for federal technology initiatives.

Confronting Broadband Reality

afearon — Mon, 20 May 2013 04:00:00 +0000

There is a great disparity between the traditional broadband narrative and the American broadband reality.

Assailing Corporations is a Poor Competitiveness Strategy

afearon — Mon, 20 May 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Instead of berating U.S. companies for being unpatriotic, Congress would be better advised to put in place the comprehensive changes needed to make the U.S. economy more competitive.

The IP Transition: An Engineering Perspective

afearon — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Richard Bennett will present on a panel on the IP transition.

The U.S. STEM Workforce: The Real Story