The Technology Imperative and The Role of Technology Policy In Driving Economic Growth

Dr. Gregory Tassey is Senior Economist at NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and author of several ground-breaking books, including The Economics of R&D Policy, Technology Infrastructure and Competitive Position, and The Technology Imperative, which have established government’s role in creating science and technology policies that foster national economic competitiveness.

In his latest work, The Technology Imperative, Dr. Tassey describes the ongoing process of globalization of the technology-based economy, identifies the causes and impacts of technological underinvestment within national economies, explains how increasing global competition raises the costs of poor national policy choices, and assesses the national technology investment strategies of the United States vis-à-vis other leading industrialized countries.

At this ITIF Breakfast Forum, Dr. Tassey will present major findings from The Technology Imperative, including that:

• Globalization has changed the dynamics of technology-based competition, with one implication being more rapid shifts of market shares amongst national economies;
• Corporations have become increasingly global in their R&D, manufacturing, and marketing strategies (partnering as much with foreign-based companies as with domestic ones);
• As a result, competition among uniquely domestic industries across national economies has become an anachronism, and;
• These points collectively mean that competition among governments has become a critical factor in determining global market shares among nations. Global economic playing fields can be tipped by proactive government policy, so that the role of government is now a critical factor in determining which economies win and which lose in the increasingly intense process of creative destruction.

Please join us for this enlightening presentation and discussion on the appropriate role of government in establishing science, research, technology and innovation policies that drive economic growth.