Publications: Robert D. Atkinson

Economists’ reliance on R&D and patent metrics distorts our understanding of productivity growth. Time to correct the conclusion: Here’s why these proxies fail to capture the forces that do drive it.

“Non-tariff attacks” on U.S. tech companies are not just tax and regulatory hurdles—they are also eroding America’s strategic edge. Washington must identify, deter, and counter these measures in order to prevent ceding U.S. technology leadership to other nations.

A pro-worker agenda isn’t the same as a “national greatness” agenda. Workers are an interest group like any other: sometimes aligned with what’s best for the American Republic, and sometimes not.

China is on the march to dominate advanced industries that underpin national power in the 21st century. To protect U.S. economic strength and national security, policymakers must jettison old techno-economic and trade policy doctrines and adopt a new national power industry strategy.

Unions are interest groups, and America’s challenges require every group to put the national interest ahead of narrow self-interest. Yes, including blue-collar workers.

Korea cannot match the United States on foundational model innovation or China on manufacturing scale. But it holds a unique combination of strengths that neither possesses together: semiconductor fabrication, precision manufacturing, and world-class industrial robotics deployment.

We see plenty of “useful idiots” today. They no longer carry the Bolsheviks’ water, but rather parrot the CCP line as they disparage the West and praise China.

History suggests the labor market will weather this technological storm, just as it has weathered many others before it.

Governments must treat productivity growth as a deliberate pursuit, not a happy accident. A global effort to identify, study, and replicate best-in-class practices would move us closer to that goal.

With capital-lite corporate strategies shaped by Wall Street’s demand for high returns on assets and invested capital, U.S. firms invest relatively little in robotics. Meanwhile, China’s capital-heavy model fuels rapid productivity gains.