Robert D. Atkinson

For 40 years, the U.S. government sent implicit and often explicit messages to American firms: Invest in China. Indulging in emotionally satisfying corporate blame points us toward the wrong solutions.

Pundits, analysts, advocates, and policymakers can now acknowledge that we have spent enough time in a counterproductive globalization rejection phase, and it’s time to abandon the road to autarky.

As the Trump administration has made clear, it is laser-focused on one number: the bilateral trade deficit between the United States and other nations. The Lee Jae Myung government should put in place a plan to reduce that deficit to zero, and then ask Trump to renegotiate for a fairer deal.

Section 337 was made into law to help address unfair foreign trade practices. It should be used vigorously to prevent the import of IP-infringing products from firms that systemically benefit from unfair government practices in non-market, non-rule-of-law economies such as China.

The United States must invest in the intellectual and institutional infrastructure needed to counter China’s aggressive techno-economic rise. NSF’s TIP Directorate should fund at least one university to establish a graduate program focused on industrial strategy and economic warfighting.

To beat China, the U.S. must revitalize many of the core principles in the 1950s business creed and foster a business community that embraces a national industrial strategy.

Engagement always comes at a price. The CCP is realist to the core, caring only about China. When it sees the U.S. government requesting cooperation, it sees leverage.

Fellow advocates of industrial policy, join me in being outspoken. You have nothing to lose but your intellectual chains and U.S. techno-economic survival to gain.

Korea’s highly educated workforce is increasingly stuck in low-quality jobs. This is not due to a lack of skill, but rather to government policies that penalize growth and fragment markets. Korea must embrace size neutrality, reforming regulations and incentives to support firms that innovate, scale, and compete globally.

What’s more likely to boost growth and tech leadership: a targeted innovation strategy for robotics or one focused on cleaner oceans? Just asking.

Robots are the future. It is time for Congress and the administration to take a number of straightforward and affordable steps to boost U.S. robotics innovation and adoption.

There are two core reasons for manufacturing decline denialism: fear of protectionism and blind faith in market forces.

Watch the high-level discussion presented by ITIF’s Center for Korean Innovation and Competitiveness featuring trade experts, regulatory analysts, and U.S.–Korea watchers from both sides of the Pacific.

Watch now for a virtual panel discussion with top experts as they explored the technological feasibility and legislative pathway for how a commercial trucking RUC can serve as the foundation for a sustainable, long-term solution to America’s transportation funding crisis.

Watch ITIF’s Aegis Project for Defending U.S. Technology Leadership's webinar discussion featuring expert panelists as they examine the growing trend of nontariff attacks on American technology companies and exploring ways U.S. policymakers can respond.

Watch now for a virtual panel discussion from ITIF’s Centre for Canadian Innovation and Competitiveness. The webinar featured top experts as they explored whether growing external pressures might serve as a catalyst for renewed policy ambition in Canada’s innovation ecosystem.

At the ITIF-KAIST Joint Forum, a distinguished group of experts confronted the turbulence stemming from the Trump administration’s strategic direction and explore critical questions surrounding technology sovereignty. The discussions also focused on practical pathways to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the US and the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Watch the expert briefing event discussing a significant ITIF report on the failures of the last phase of globalization, the economic and policy dead ends caused by recent anti-globalization trends, and the principles and policies needed to shape a “Globalization 2.0” framework.

Rob Atkinson delivers the keynote lecture at the 2025 Bromley Memorial Event co-hosted by the Institute for International Science and Technology Policy (IISTP) at GW’s Elliott School and the University of Ottawa's Institute for Science, Society & Policy (ISSP).

Watch now for a panel discussion with international experts who discussed why nations operating by the Anglo-Saxon economic playbook must abandon their reliance on purely market-driven capitalism, how they can reverse their recent declines, and what alternative systems policymakers should embrace to meet the demands of a modern, technology-driven global economy.

Watch now for a virtual panel discussion with technology policy experts who highlighted and critiqued the most counterproductive tech policies of the past year, and considered how the incoming administration and Congress can turn the page.

Watch now for an online presentation and discussion with Robert D. Atkinson and David Moschella, co-authors of Technology Fears and Scapegoats: 40 Myths About Privacy, Jobs, AI, and Today’s Innovation Economy.

Watch now for an expert panel discussion on how South Korea’s regulatory choices will shape its future as a global tech leader, and what the broader implications will be for its strategic positioning in the U.S.-China rivalry.

Please join the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation for an expert briefing event to discuss the findings of a 20-month ITIF investigation into Chinese firms’ innovative capabilities in key advanced industries, including robotics, chemicals, nuclear power, electric vehicles, semiconductors, AI, quantum computing, and biotechnology.