ITIF Logo
ITIF Search

National Competitiveness

As nations engage in a race for global advantage in innovation, ITIF champions a new policy paradigm that ensures businesses and national economies can compete successfully by spurring public and private investment in foundational areas such as research, skills, and 21st century infrastructure. Our work on competitiveness policy includes analysis of the many factors and policies driving national competitiveness, including improving innovation ecosystems and the technical capacity of high-value-added industries.

Hilal Aka
Hilal Aka

Policy Analyst

Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

Read Bio
Robert D. Atkinson
Robert D. Atkinson

President

Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

Read Bio
Stephen Ezell
Stephen Ezell

Vice President, Global Innovation Policy, and Director, Center for Life Sciences Innovation

Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

Read Bio
Sejin Kim
Sejin Kim

Associate Director, Center for Korean Innovation and Competitiveness

Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

Read Bio
Trelysa Long
Trelysa Long

Policy Analyst

Schumpeter Project on Competition Policy

Read Bio
David Moschella
David Moschella

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

Read Bio
Meghan Ostertag
Meghan Ostertag

Research Assistant

Read Bio
Lawrence Zhang
Lawrence Zhang

Head of Policy, Centre for Canadian Innovation and Competitiveness

Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

Read Bio

Featured

China Is Rapidly Becoming a Leading Innovator in Advanced Industries

China Is Rapidly Becoming a Leading Innovator in Advanced Industries

There may be no more important question for the West’s competitive position in advanced industries than whether China is becoming a rival innovator. While the evidence suggests it hasn’t yet taken the overall lead, it has pulled ahead in certain areas, and in many others Chinese firms will likely equal or surpass Western firms within a decade or so.

A Techno-Economic Agenda for the Next Administration

A Techno-Economic Agenda for the Next Administration

The next administration needs to place innovation, productivity, and competitiveness at the core of its economic policy. To that end, this report offers a comprehensive techno-economic agenda with 82 actionable policy recommendations.

The Hamilton Index, 2023: China Is Running Away With Strategic Industries

The Hamilton Index, 2023: China Is Running Away With Strategic Industries

China now dominates the strategically important industries in ITIF’s Hamilton Index, producing more than any other nation in absolute terms and more than all but a few others in relative terms. Its gains are coming at the expense of the United States and other G7 and OECD economies, and time is running short for policymakers to mount an industrial comeback.

More Publications and Events

February 5, 2025|Events

The Decline of the “Anglo-Saxon” System of Capitalism

Please join ITIF for a virtual panel with international experts who will discuss 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.

February 3, 2025|Op-Eds & Contributed Articles

Canadian Economic Nationalism in the Trump Era: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Canada’s lagging productivity and innovation, combined with the second term of Donald Trump, is driving the country’s policy leaders to embrace a deeply flawed idea: techno-economic nationalism. This approach will harm Canadian innovation and provoke Trump.

January 31, 2025|Blogs

The FTC’s Amazon-Temu Blunder: Working With China to Target American Tech

The FTC's surprising decision to partner with Chinese-owned Temu in its antitrust case against Amazon reveals a dangerous misalignment between American antitrust policy and national security interests, highlighting how regulatory overreach could end up strengthening China's tech dominance.

January 30, 2025|Events

Scale Matters: Understanding The Economics of Global Semiconductor Innovation

Watch now for an expert panel elucidating the innovation economics of the global semiconductor industry, exploring how the industry is capitalized, and exploring the landscape of global semiconductor competition and policy in the year ahead.

January 27, 2025|Blogs

Building Canadian Start-Ups Through Global Experience

Instead of viewing foreign tech companies as competitors to domestic innovation, Canada must embrace their complementary role in fostering a vibrant, interconnected tech ecosystem.

January 21, 2025|Blogs

After Biden’s “Tech-Industrial Complex” Warning, Trump Has an Opportunity for a Fresh Start

President Biden’s parting condemnation of what he called the “tech-industrial complex” underscored how deeply entrenched demonization of the tech industry has become among policymakers—a stance they must change to ensure America remains globally competitive.

January 21, 2025|Blogs

America Has a National Security Strategy. Where Is Its National Competitiveness Strategy?

What is needed is the political will to challenge the status quo and make a radical shift from the “marketist” approach to a “producerist” approach to the economy by focusing first and foremost on how to restore America’s advanced-industry dominance.

January 16, 2025|Events

Balancing National Security and Economic Competitiveness in AI Export Controls

Watch now for a panel discussion on the proposed AI export control framework’s implications for U.S. competitiveness, the global AI ecosystem, and national security. Panelists will discuss the risks of the proposed approach, explore alternative policy strategies, and discuss the path forward to balance economic, security, and foreign policy objectives.

January 15, 2025|Blogs

Beyond the Numbers: The Truth About US Business R&D Growth

The growth of business R&D spending from 2018 to 2022 was quite uneven, with nonmanufacturing industries’ growth rate far exceeding that of manufacturing industries. For the United States to successfully compete with China, most industries need to be strong in innovation, which requires robust R&D increases. Congress must pass pro-innovation tax reforms.

January 13, 2025|Blogs

Fact of the Week: H-1B Visa Workers Contribute to the Number of Issued Patents in the United States

A recent study found that the number of H-1B visa holders is highly correlated with the number of issued patents in a state.

Back to Top