Sujai Shivakumar
Sujai Shivakumar was associate director of the Center for Data Innovation, focusing on the impact of data innovation in the retail sector. He brings two decades of experience in directing studies, convening high-level dialogue, and preparing and disseminating reports of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the National Academy of Public Administration. He has deep experience in the assessment of public-private technology partnerships and technology transfer from the National Laboratories, analyses of policies supporting advanced manufacturing and the skilled technical workforce, policy studies relating the governance of near-earth orbit, and comparative reviews of international innovation policies and their impact on the U.S. innovation system.
Dr. Shivakumar holds a doctorate in economics from George Mason University and was an Earhart Foundation scholar at the Ostrom Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis at Indiana University-Bloomington. He is the author of The Constitution of Development (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005) and co-author with Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom of The Samaritan’s Dilemma, The Political Economy of Development Aid (Oxford, 2005).
Recent Publications
Comments to CBP On Mandatory Advance Electronic Information for International Mail Shipments
The Center for Data Innovation submitted comments to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) calling for CBP and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to enforce the requirement that 100 percent of international mail shipments have advance electronic data (AED).
Comments to CBP On Mandatory Advance Electronic Information for International Mail Shipments
Because USPS has expressed concern that immediate refusal and return of inbound shipments containing goods not accompanied by AED will disrupt inbound mail, CBP should consider seeking a congressional extension to December 2021 for full AED compliance, but make clear that it will not seek further extensions.
Why States Should Not Make Online Marketplaces Liable for Defective Products
Extending liability beyond sellers to include the digital platforms they use to reach consumers would undercut the viability of many online marketplaces while doing very little to improve product safety. It would only leave consumers worse off in the long run.
How Data-Sharing Partnerships Can Thwart Counterfeits on Online Marketplaces
While brand sellers, online marketplaces, and law enforcement agencies all share an interest in stopping counterfeits, their efforts to detect and prevent their sale remain siloed and uncoordinated.
Recent Events and Presentations
Should Online Marketplaces Be Liable for Defective Products?
ITIF hosted a discussion on the impact of recent court rulings and proposed legislative changes to product liability laws on online marketplaces in the rapidly changing retail environment.
Using Data to Fight Counterfeiting in E-commerce
ITIF's Center for Data Innovation hosted a video webinar to discuss the role of data and AI to counter the growing threat from global counterfeiting networks.