Given that the economy has been in an unprecedented productivity growth slump—and the baby boom retirement wave is rising—taxing automation equipment ranks as a singularly bad policy idea.
Productivity
April 29, 2019
While it may be tempting to focus on the direct job losses caused by robot adoption, it is wrong to conclude that automation constitutes a generalized threat to workers, either in manufacturing or in the broader economy. By choosing to automate, firms can increase their productivity, which allows them to expand and increase their employment.
April 8, 2019
The Fraunhofer Gesellschaft (FhG), a German nonprofit organization that conducts applied research, started about 6,500 projects per year with private firms between 1997 and 2014, and new research shows the firms reap substantial benefits from the collaboration.
April 8, 2019
Given that the economy has been in an unprecedented productivity growth slump—and the baby boom retirement wave is rising—taxing automation equipment ranks as a singularly bad policy idea.
March 26, 2019
The EU has an opportunity to make major strides in the next wave of digital transformation. But it will need to adopt a forward-looking policy perspective that focuses on the benefits of connectivity, automation, and smart systems for Europe’s economy and society.
March 22, 2019
ITIF and an expert panel discussed the consequences of various reforms to the U.S. Postal Service.
March 18, 2019
Immigrant-Owned High-Tech Firms Outperform Native-Owned Firms Across 15 of 16 Measures of Innovation
Proponents of increased high-skilled immigration routinely cite research that measures the size and growth of firms created by immigrant entrepreneurs. A new study goes farther, examining the performance of immigrant-owned high-tech firms across 16 metrics of innovation, from the production of publishable findings to patent applications.
March 4, 2019
Between 1993 and 2003, Canada’s labor productivity grew at an average rate of 1.6 percent annually. The following decade, average labor productivity growth fell by more than a third to 1.0 percent, with comparable slowdowns occurring in most OECD countries, dampening economic growth globally. A new study examined the influence of ICT use and production on Canada’s labor productivity growth from 1993 to 2014, finding significant declines in ICT investment and ICT-driven growth.
January 7, 2019
The next wave of digital innovation is coming. Countries can welcome it, prepare for it, and ride it to new heights of innovation and prosperity, or they can ignore the changing tide and miss the wave.
December 18, 2018
A featured essay for Australian’s Department of Industry, Innovation and Science discusses what nations can to do spur productivity growth and encourage the development of new technologies.
December 4, 2018
In a presentation to the National Economist Club, Rob Atkinson discussed U.S. manufacturers' preparedness for automation and new technologies.