Robert D. Atkinson
President
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
As founder and president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), recognized as the world’s top think tank for science and technology policy, Robert D. Atkinson leads a prolific team of policy analysts and fellows that is successfully shaping the debate and setting the agenda on a host of critical issues at the intersection of technological innovation and public policy.
He is an internationally recognized scholar and a widely published author whom The New Republic has named one of the “three most important thinkers about innovation,” Washingtonian Magazine has called a “tech titan,” Government Technology Magazine has judged to be one of the 25 top “doers, dreamers and drivers of information technology,” and the Wharton Business School has given the “Wharton Infosys Business Transformation Award.”
A sought-after speaker and valued adviser to policymakers around the world, Atkinson’s books include Technology Fears and Scapegoats: 40 Myths about Privacy, Jobs, AI, and Today’s Innovation Economy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024); Big is Beautiful: Debunking the Mythology of Small Business (MIT Press, 2018); Innovation Economics: The Race for Global Advantage (Yale, 2012); Supply-Side Follies: Why Conservative Economics Fails, Liberal Economics Falters, and Innovation Economics is the Answer (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006); and The Past And Future Of America’s Economy: Long Waves Of Innovation That Power Cycles Of Growth (Edward Elgar, 2005). His In the Arena commentaries are on Substack at policyarena.org. He also has conducted groundbreaking research projects and authored hundreds of articles and reports on technology and innovation-related topics ranging from tax policy to advanced manufacturing, productivity, and global competitiveness. He has testified before the United States Congress more than 30 times.
President Clinton appointed Atkinson to the Commission on Workers, Communities, and Economic Change in the New Economy; the Bush administration appointed him chair of the congressionally created National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission; the Obama administration appointed him to the National Innovation and Competitiveness Strategy Advisory Board; as co-chair of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s China-U.S. Innovation Policy Experts Group; to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship; and the Trump administration appointed him to the G7 Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence. The Biden administration appointed him as a member of the U.S. State Department’s Advisory Committee on International Communications and Information, and a member of the Export-Import Bank of the United States' Council on China Competition.
Atkinson currently serves on the Expert Panel on the State of Science, Technology, and Innovation in Canada at the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA), which has been tasked by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada to assess the state of science, technology, and innovation in Canada, and determine how Canada compares internationally. Atkinson also served on the UK government’s Place Advisory Group to advise the Minister for Science, Research and Innovation on how policy can drive innovation in more regions. He is a member of the Polaris Council, a body of cross-sectoral, interdisciplinary science and technology policy experts who advise the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics (STAA) team on emergent and emerging issues.
Atkinson is a member of the Special Competitive Studies Project. He served on the Markle Foundation Task Force on National Security in the Information Age and serves on the boards or advisory councils of the University of Oregon’s Institute for Policy Research and Innovation, and the State Science and Technology Institute. Additionally, Atkinson is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Electronic Government and the Journal of Internet Policy; a member of the Global Innovation Forum Brain Trust; a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution; a fellow at the Columbia University Institute of Tele-Information; a fellow of Glocom, a Tokyo-based research institute. He is also an adjunct professor at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service.ice.
Atkinson was previously vice president of the Progressive Policy Institute, where he directed the Technology & New Economy Project. He wrote numerous research reports on technology and innovation policy, covering issues such as broadband telecommunications, e-commerce, e-government, privacy, copyright, R&D tax policy, offshoring, and innovation economics.
Previously, Atkinson served as the first executive director of the Rhode Island Economic Policy Council (RIEPC), a public-private partnership whose members included the state’s governor, legislative leaders, and both corporate and labor leaders. As head of RIEPC, Atkinson was responsible for drafting a comprehensive economic development strategy for the state and working with the legislature and executive branch of government to successfully implement each element of a 10-point action agenda.
Prior to his service in Rhode Island, Atkinson was a project director at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, where, among other projects, he spearheaded The Technological Reshaping of Metropolitan America, a seminal report examining the impact of the information technology revolution on America’s urban areas.
As a respected policy expert and commentator, Atkinson has testified numerous times before the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, and he appears frequently on news and public affairs programs. Among others, these appearances have included interviews on BBC, CNBC, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, NPR, and NBC Nightly News.
Atkinson holds a Ph.D. in city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he was awarded the prestigious Joseph E. Pogue Fellowship. He earned his master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Oregon, which named him a distinguished alumnus in 2014.
Research Areas
Recent Publications
Decoding the Techno-Economic Power Struggle, With Alex Capri
There is a clear linkage between technology and national security, economic strength and social stability.
Never Fight a Multifront Trade War: Why the United States Will Lose
Chinese advanced industries may not have U.S. market access after the trade war, but they will have the rest of the world’s. American companies will be left with the scraps of the U.S. market. Scale will determine the winner.
Squaring the Trump Circle: Free Markets and Tariffs
President Trump sees tariffs as an across-the-board global price reset, wherein the market, not the government, selects the firms that succeed behind America’s tariff wall.
The New Carney Government Must Anchor University Research to Canadian Industry
Canada risks falling behind as a low-productivity, resource-based economy just as China rises as a global technology leader and U.S. protectionism grows. To help turn the ship of state toward a technology-driven economy, the government should take the simple but impactful step of giving Canadian industry more say in setting university research priorities.
A Tax-Based Industrial Policy to Compete With China
The goal of industrial policy is to align business activity with national interest. So, why not use the tax code to reward companies that drive exports, domestic investment, R&D, and workforce training?
The Trump Administration Should Get Industry More Involved in University Research Funding
To beat China, the United States must better align university research with critical technologies and ensure it directly supports the needs of American firms. To do that, federal research funding agencies should prioritize university researchers who have secured financial commitments from industry.
Trump Trade Negotiations: Embrace Strategic Trade, Not Autarky
The Trump administration will have to make a choice: Demand the removal of all foreign trade barriers or be strategic and focus on eliminating those critical to America’s techno-economic future.
Will Xi’s Gamble Not Pay Off?
Xi Jinping's accelerated timeline to dominate global tech-based industries appears to be a strategic miscalculation. The coming years will reveal whether China can adapt its approach or suffer the consequences of this high-stakes gamble.
Globalists Brought Trump’s Trade Revolution on Themselves
Trump’s tariff revolution on Liberation Day was the wrong reaction, but it’s still important to understand the motivation for his action. Those in the current globalist establishment need to stop defending the last phase of their failed project, admit there are grave flaws in the international trade regime, and get on board with fixing its problems.
Liberation Day Tariffs Miss the Real Target: China
The Trump administration’s "Liberation Day" tariffs foolishly alienate allies instead of strategically targeting China, inadvertently weakening U.S. competitiveness and handing a win to Beijing.
Liberation Day: Explaining Trump’s Tariffs
In the Trumpian trade worldview, tariffs are not just a necessary economic tool to correct foreign nations seen as "cheating," but a patriotic mission to restore America’s economic sovereignty and punish the disloyal globalists who, in their eyes, have betrayed the nation.
Toward Globalization 2.0: A New Trade Policy Framework for Advanced-Industry Leadership and National Power
Globalization 1.0 has failed, but protectionist autarky cannot be its replacement. Instead, it is past time to craft a new kind of globalization that advances U.S. interests in key industries and prevents China from becoming the dominant techno-economic power.
Recent Events and Presentations
Defending US Technology Leadership From Nontariff Attacks
Please join ITIF’s Aegis Project for Defending U.S. Technology Leadership for an expert panel discussion examining the growing trend of nontariff attacks on American technology companies and exploring ways U.S. policymakers can respond.
Creative Insecurity: Can Trump’s Trade Threats Jolt Canada Into Action?
Please join ITIF’s Centre for Canadian Innovation and Competitiveness for a virtual panel featuring top experts as they explore whether growing external pressures might serve as a catalyst for renewed policy ambition in Canada’s innovation ecosystem.
From Rejection to Reform: Rethinking Globalization
Watch the expert briefing event discussing a significant ITIF report on the failures of the last phase of globalization, the economic and policy dead ends caused by recent anti-globalization trends, and the principles and policies needed to shape a “Globalization 2.0” framework.
2025 Bromley Memorial Lecture: US Science Policy at a Crossroads
Rob Atkinson delivers the keynote lecture at the 2025 Bromley Memorial Event co-hosted by the Institute for International Science and Technology Policy (IISTP) at GW’s Elliott School and the University of Ottawa's Institute for Science, Society & Policy (ISSP).
The Decline of the “Anglo-Saxon” System of Capitalism
Watch now for a panel discussion with international experts who discussed 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.
The Worst Tech Policies of 2024: How the New Administration and Congress Can Turn the Page
Watch now for a virtual panel discussion with technology policy experts who highlighted and critiqued the most counterproductive tech policies of the past year, and considered how the incoming administration and Congress can turn the page.
Techlash 2025: The Outlook for Tech Policy in the Trump Administration
Watch now for an online presentation and discussion with Robert D. Atkinson and David Moschella, co-authors of Technology Fears and Scapegoats: 40 Myths About Privacy, Jobs, AI, and Today’s Innovation Economy.
Korea’s Digital Market: Domestic Regulation and Global Impacts
Watch now for an expert panel discussion on how South Korea’s regulatory choices will shape its future as a global tech leader, and what the broader implications will be for its strategic positioning in the U.S.-China rivalry.
Can China Innovate in Advanced Industries?
Please join the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation for an expert briefing event to discuss the findings of a 20-month ITIF investigation into Chinese firms’ innovative capabilities in key advanced industries, including robotics, chemicals, nuclear power, electric vehicles, semiconductors, AI, quantum computing, and biotechnology.
Dublin Tech Summit, 2024: Can Tech Save Us?
Rob Atkinson appeared at the 2024 Dublin Tech Summit to speak about the real-world impact of governance surrounding AI and other transformative technologies.
Who’s Afraid of Big Tech? Unpacking the Discourse on Technology and Its Harms
Rob Atkinson speaks at a panel discussion to delve into his latest book, Technology Fears and Scapegoats.
Debunking Tech Myths About Privacy, Jobs, AI, and Today’s Innovation Economy
Rob Atkinson and David Moschella joined Dr. Michael R. Nelson of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace for a lively fireside chat about Atkinson and Moschella’s must-read new book, Technology Fears and Scapegoats: 40 Myths about Privacy, Jobs, AI, and Today’s Innovation Economy.
Testimonials
Rob Atkinson, “has a unique and enviable capacity to communicate cutting-edge analysis of emerging and effective economic development practices. In that, he made high level concepts very accessible and relevant to those in the front line of growing jobs and the economy. We consider ourselves to be very fortunate you were able to share your voice, vision, wisdom, and experience with our regional leaders.”
- Jim Prosser Executive Director, Centralina Council of Governments
Dr. Robert D. Atkinson was an excellent addition as an international keynote speaker at the Innovation Day, hosted by the Portuguese Industrial Association (AIP) in Lisbon. Dr. Atkinson’s presentation on lessons from the U.S. innovation system was insightful and engaging. His encouraging perspective on innovation and its potential role in the Portugal context during a moderated discussion was thought provoking for the audience. Dr. Atkinson is an excellent speaker and a pleasure to collaborate with.
- Augusto Medina President, Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovacao S.A.
Dr. Atkinson’s keynote on “Innovation Waves” was a highlight of our P&G Alumni Innovation Summit. His long view of how innovation shapes business and economic growth provides clear direction on what’s needed to sustain US competitiveness in the decades to come. Rob was able to share a balanced view of what’s working and not working today, outlining a sensible approach for Federal R&D spending and regulatory policy.
- Wayne Fisher President, Rockdale Innovation
Rob provided a keynote presentation for the Waukesha County Business Alliance’s 103rd Annual Meeting. Our members enjoyed his thorough and informative presentation about innovation and growth potential for our region and state.
- Robyn Ludtke Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives & Workforce, Waukesha County Business Alliance
Rob Atkinson offers a cleared-eyed view of the need for a new and well-founded industrial policy for the United States. Without taking any political side, Atkinson lays out the economic uncertainty the country faces by failing to invest in critical industries. The war in Ukraine and mounting tensions with China highlight the need for the U.S. to invest in critical development and production, particularly in semiconductors, but in other key industries as well. According to Atkinson, the debate is not about capitalism or socialism, but whether the U.S. has the determination to build resiliency at home to face myriad global problems now and in the future.
- Bill Clifford President and CEO, World Affairs Councils of America
