Adams Nager
Adams Nager was formerly an economic policy analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. He researches and writes on innovation economics, manufacturing policy, and the importance of STEM education and high-skilled immigration. Nager holds an M.A. in political economy and public policy and a B.A. in economics, both from Washington University in St. Louis.
Research Areas
Recent Publications
Trump’s Review of H-1B Visas Should Make a Good Program Better
As long as the administration recognizes the need to continue attracting the world’s best and brightest—and takes a careful, “mend it, don’t end it” approach to carrying out the president’s order—the result can be beneficial for the U.S. economy, writes Adams Nager on MarketWatch.
Trump’s Cuts to Federal Science Funding Will Mean Less Industry R&D, Not More
President Trump assumes crowded out private investment will restore R&D expenditures after deep budget cuts, but evidence disagrees, writes Adams Nager in Innovation Files.
Architecting an Innovation-Maximizing Global Economic and Trade System
The international community needs to work assiduously to architect a global innovation system supported by innovation-empowering trade rules and well-constructed domestic policies to spur innovation.
Can U.S. Manufacturing Be Made Great Again?
It’s time to change the narrative that U.S. manufacturing jobs are being lost to robots in a rapid shift to high-tech “factories of the future” that pushes U.S. manufacturing output to an all-time high, write Adams Nager and Rob Atkinson in IndustryWeek.
Trade vs. Productivity: What Caused U.S. Manufacturing's Decline and How to Revive It
Automation was not the primary culprit behind manufacturing job losses, and now too little automation is depressing U.S. output and leading to stagnation in U.S. manufacturing.
A Tale of Two Trading Partners: Why U.S. Trade With Mexico and China Could Not Be More Different
The differences in the United States’ relationship with these two nations shows the need for a more nuanced discussion on trade, writes Adams Nager in Innovation Files.
Is the United States Immune to Dutch Disease?
Adams Nager writes in Innovation Files that as the United States celebrates an oil boom, the question must be asked: Is the United States immune to Dutch Disease?
End the Conspiracy of Silence
Adams Nager writes in International Economy that the election of Donald Trump was a body blow to the so-called “Washington trade consensus,” a coherent, if intellectually flawed, set of beliefs which holds that trade always benefits the U.S. economy and that any efforts to restrict it, even in the service of ensuring that our trading partners play by the rules, by definition is detrimental to economic growth.
High-Tech Nation: How Technological Innovation Shapes America’s 435 Congressional Districts
America’s innovation-driven, high-tech economy isn’t concentrated around a few hubs like Silicon Valley; it is widely diffused—and every state and congressional district has a stake in its success.
Does Inequality Hinge on Too Much Automation or Not Enough?
Too little, not too much, technology may be responsible for slow median wage growth that frustrates voters this election, writes Adams Nager in Innovation Files.
Comments to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on International Entrepreneurs
ITIF applauds the intention of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s proposed rule on international entrepreneurs, but as currently written, the rule could be applied to individuals and companies that would have negligible impact on U.S. job growth, innovation, and productivity.
A Trillion-Dollar Opportunity: How Brain Research Can Drive Health and Prosperity
Spurring biopharmaceutical innovation to understand and cure brain diseases and disorders could improve health outcomes for more than 50 million Americans while increasing GDP by up to $1.5 trillion or more.
Recent Events and Presentations
A Trillion-Dollar Opportunity: How Brain Research Can Drive Health and Prosperity
Join ITIF for the release of a new report examining the potential economic gains the United States could reap from biopharma innovation that enables improved diagnosis, treatment, cures, and even prevention of mental and neurological health conditions.