Meghan Ostertag
Research Assistant
Meghan Ostertag is a research assistant for economic policy at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. She holds a bachelor's degree in economics from American University.
Recent Publications
Fact of the Week: Over $1.4T More Venture Capital Funding Was Invested in U.S.-headquartered Firms than in European Firms
Compared to the United States, venture capital (VC) activity in the European Union (EU) is low, with EU-headquartered firms receiving $1.4 trillion less VC funding than their American counterparts from 2013 to 2022.
Fact of the Week: Forty Percent of Adults in Low- and Middle-Income Economies Formally Saved in 2024
Access to digital banking services has enabled more individuals to start formally saving money, with 40 percent of the population in low- and middle-income nations actively saving as of 2024, representing a 67 percent increase.
Latin American Subnational Innovation Competitiveness Index 2.0
This report ranks more than 200 regions across Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and the United States on 13 commonly available indicators of innovation competitiveness, and offers policymakers a guide to bolstering regional and national innovation capacity.
Fact of the Week: The GDPR Led to a 13 Percent Reduction in Venture Capital Investment in the EU by US Investors
After the rollout of the GDPR, the number of investment deals led by U.S. investors in the EU was 21 percent lower than the number of deals in the United States
How Reducing Federal R&D Reduces GDP Growth
Cutting federal investments in R&D may appear to save billions in the budget, but it could cost the economy trillions. In fact, ITIF estimates that cutting federal R&D by 20 percent would cost the U.S. economy up to almost $1.5 trillion compared with China’s growth pace.
Fact of the Week: Nine of the Top 10 Global Research Universities Are in China
In a ranking based on the total number of high-quality research articles they publish over the calendar year, Chinese universities claim 9 of the top 10 spots in the academic category.
Fact of the Week: More Than 99 Percent of Listed Firms in China Receive Direct Subsidies From the Chinese Government
A study finds that over 99 percent of a sample of 5,260 listed Chinese firms received government subsidies totaling €35.3 billion in 2022, double the amount from 2015.
Fact of the Week: Access to Broadband Internet Increases Intergenerational Mobility by up to 12.3 Percent
A new working paper finds that income rank increased by between 6 and 12.3 percent between fathers and sons in Norway after the roll-out of broadband.
BEA Data Shows High Inequality Among States
Income inequality is often positively associated with higher growth, but it also brings wider income gaps.
Fact of the Week: Chinese Currency Manipulation May Be Driving the Trade Surplus Between China and Europe
As of 2025, the goods trade deficit between the European Union and China has doubled since 2020, while it is 3.6 times greater in Germany. One driver of this imbalance may be Chinese currency manipulation, which has allowed Chinese firms to undercut the prices of European retailers.
Big Announcements, Small Results: FDI Falls Yet Again
For the third year in a row, foreign direct investment into the United States has dropped sharply, according to new data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Fact of the Week: US Innovative Firms Operate in Too Few Markets Relative to the Social Optimum
Innovative U.S. firms, or those that engage in high levels of R&D to develop new products or services, in the aggregate, operate in too few markets relative to the social optimum, thus resulting in less knowledge spillover.
