Competitiveness

Innovation, including the diffusion of information technology throughout the economy, is key to boosting productivity, which in turn is at the heart of increasing living standards.

Masters of Nothing U.S. Book Release Event

May 28, 2013 - 9:00am - 10:30am
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
1101 K Street NW
Suite 610A
Washington
District of Columbia
20005
VIEW MAP

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 und Read more »

Where’s the Applause? Explaining the Lack of Industry Enthusiasm for NNMI
May 20, 2013
| Blogs & Op-eds
Robert D. Atkinson
READ ONLINE

In his latest column for Industry Week Rob Atkinson discusses the reasons behind the lack of corporate support for federal technology initiatives.

Assailing Corporations is a Poor Competitiveness Strategy
May 20, 2013
| Blogs & Op-eds
Robert C. Atkinson
READ ONLINE

America is in a global race for innovation advantage and policy makers around the world are enacting forward-thinking policies to make their nations more attractive for global investment. Unfortunately, instead of focusing on the reforms the U.S. needs to keep pace, some policymakers focus on blaming corporations for choosing to move jobs offshore or legally deferring foreign profits to reduce their tax burden. Blame is not a strategy. Shame is not a policy. 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 Real Story on Guestworkers in the High-skill U.S. Labor Market
May 16, 2013
| Reports
Robert D. Atkinson
Luke A. Stewart
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Recently, the Economic Policy Institute issued a report claiming that there is no shortage of U.S. STEM workers and that increases in high-skill immigration are not needed and detrimental to the U.S. economy. In this report, ITIF presents a detailed rebuttal of the EPI analysis to provide a more accurate picture of the high skill labor market. We find that the EPI report's conclusions are simply not supported by the evidence. In fact, the U.S. does not produce enough STEM workers domestically, STEM wages and jobs have grown significantly over the last decade, and high-skill guestworkers are a complement, not a substitute, to American high-skill labor.

Just the Facts: The Benefits of Information and Communications Technology
May 13, 2013
| Reports
Robert D. Atkinson
Luke A. Stewart
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A prominent economist once stated, "computer chips, potato chips, what's the difference." The short answer is "a lot." Fifty-five years after the invention of the integrated circuit and 28 years after the first dot-com website was registered, information and communications technology (IT) remains a central driver of innovation and prosperity.

This fact sheet lists 53 documented economic benefits of IT, from jobs and output to competitiveness and innovation.

Expansion of NNMI Will Enhance Economic Growth and Improve U.S. Competitiveness

   WASHINGTON (May 9, 2013) - The Obama Administration is  expected to announce today the expansion of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) with the creation of three new institutes which will combine industry, government, and academic resources to spur technology development and adoption for key U.S. manufacturing industries. The new centers will join the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute in Youngstown, OH which was created in August of 2012.
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) has been a strong proponent of innovation policies designed to spur manufacturing competitiveness and praises President Obama for his commitment to American manufacturing innovation. ITIF also calls on Congress to approve the Administration's proposed $1 billion appropriation for the creation of at least 15 NNMI centers across the country.
"As ITIF has noted, American manufacturing faces significant innovation-related competitiveness challenges that are the central reason for past and present U.S. economic difficulties. Expanding NNMI will provide the coordinated technical capacity and research infrastructure pivotal for developing the novel processes, products and businesses to keep manufacturers in America at the cutting edge," says Robert Atkinson, President of ITIF.  "Furthermore, while the Administration's announcement today is important, Congress needs to approve and fund a national NNMI program that can provide broader benefits to American manufacturing as a whole."
The new NNMI centers are expected to include institutes on digital manufacturing and lightweight materials, both operated by the Department of Defense as well as a center dedicated to next generation power electronics managed by the Department of Energy.
"Like semiconductors before it, next-generation power electronics will be the fundamental breakthrough technology behind a more resilient smart electricity grid and more energy efficient electronics across a range of industries developing in the United States, from electric vehicles to renewable power," notes Matthew Stepp, ITIF Senior Policy Analyst. "The announced Innovation Institute for Power Electronics is a key step to maintaining American leadership in this growing industry sector."
The National Network for Manufacturing Innovation was announced by President Obama in March of 2012 with the goals of strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers, initiating new ventures, and boosting regional and national economic growth.

WASHINGTON (May 9, 2013) - The Obama Administration is  expected to announce today the expansion of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) with the creation of three new institutes which will combine industry, government, and academic resources to spur technology development and adoption for key U.S. manufacturing industries. The new centers will join the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute in Youngstown, OH which was created in August of 2012.

The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) has been a strong proponent of innovation policies designed to spur manufacturing competitiveness and praises President Obama for his commitment to American manufacturing innovation. ITIF also calls on Congress to approve the Administration's proposed $1 billion appropriation for the creation of at least 15 NNMI centers across the country.

"As ITIF has noted, American manufacturing faces significant innovation-related competitiveness challenges that are the central reason for past and present U.S. economic difficulties. Expanding NNMI will provide the coordinated technical capacity and research infrastructure pivotal for developing the novel processes, products and businesses to keep manufacturers in America at the cutting edge," says Robert Atkinson, President of ITIF.  "Furthermore, while the Administration's announcement today is important, Congress needs to approve and fund a national NNMI program that can provide broader benefits to American manufacturing as a whole."

The new NNMI centers are expected to include institutes on digital manufacturing and lightweight materials, both operated by the Department of Defense as well as a center dedicated to next generation power electronics managed by the Department of Energy.

"Like semiconductors before it, next-generation power electronics will be the fundamental breakthrough technology behind a more resilient smart electricity grid and more energy efficient electronics across a range of industries developing in the United States, from electric vehicles to renewable power," notes Matthew Stepp, ITIF Senior Policy Analyst. "The announced Innovation Institute for Power Electronics is a key step to maintaining American leadership in this growing industry sector."

The National Network for Manufacturing Innovation was announced by President Obama in March of 2012 with the goals of strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers, initiating new ventures, and boosting regional and national economic growth.

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The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) is a non-partisan think tank whose mission is to formulate and promote public policies to advance technological innovation and productivity internationally, in Washington, and in the states. Recognizing the vital role of technology in ensuring prosperity, ITIF focuses on innovation, productivity, and digital economy issues. Learn more at www.itif.org.

Policy Recommendations for the 2013 America COMPETES Act Reauthorization

May 7, 2013 - 9:00am - 10:30am
Russell Senate Office Building
Constitution Avenue and 1st Street NE
253
Washington
DC
20002

The America COMPETES Act has played an important role in enhancing the science, technology, and innovation enterprise that underpins U.S. economic growth. Read more »

Congresswoman Anna Eshoo Joins ITIF Board of Directors as Honorary Co-Chair

WASHINGTON (May 3, 2013) - The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) has announced that Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA, 18th District) will serve as the new Honorary Co-Chair of the organization's Board of Directors. Rep. Eshoo replaces Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI, 3rd District) who was recently named chair of the New Democratic Coalition. Read more »

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The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) is a Washington, D.C.-based think tank at the cutting edge of designing innovation strategies and technology policies to create economic opportunities and improve quality of life in the United States and around the world. Founded in 2006, ITIF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, non-partisan organization that documents the beneficial role technology plays in our lives and provides fact-based analysis and pragmatic ideas for improving technology-driven productivity, boosting competitiveness, and meeting today's global challenges through innovation. For additional information, visit ITIF at www.itif.org.

Congress should reallocate NSF monies to areas with stronger national economic impacts.

It’s time to clearly recognize that certain research programs the National Science Foundation supports are much more important to our country’s economic well-being and competitiveness than others, and explicitly take this into account when making budgetary allocation decisions. Therefore, Congress should direct, and the Administration should implement, a reallocation of NSF resources toward the kinds of science that has direct economic and industrial benefits for the United States. In particular, this means increasing NSF budgets for four key Directorates: 1) Math and physical sciences; 2) Engineering; 3) Computer and information sciences and engineering (CISE); and 4) Biological sciences, while permitting research budgets for the geosciences and social sciences to shrink. This is not a call to shrink basic science funding (indeed it should be increased), but it is a call to explicitly reorient it in such a way that best promotes U.S. national innovation-based economic competitiveness and the jobs and economic growth that stem from this.

Change the name of the National Science Foundation to the National Science and Engineering Foundation.

If Congress wants to take a step short of standing up a new National Engineering and Innovation Foundation, then at the very least Congress should change the name of the National Science Foundation to the National Science and Engineering Foundation. Doing so would make it clear to NSF leadership and the research community that NSF should give engineering more emphasis and visibility. And Congress should shift more of the new NSEF’s funding toward engineering, even if this has to mean cutting science funding.