In a recent Huffington Post blog posting, Rob Atkinson argues that, instead of embracing growth policies to raise productivity in all the sectors of its economy, China, like many developing nations, has erected neo-mercantilist policies designed to favor a few select export sectors. Not only are these trade practices unfair, but they are not the best way to raise living standards – in China and elsewhere. It’s time to develop a new global consensus that domestic productivity growth should be the key focus of economic policy in every nation.
Publications
January 18, 2008
An article in "CommLaw Conspectus" outlines the economic rationale for a national broadband strategy, showing why the market alone will not generate the societally optimal level of broadband in the foreseeable future.
January 14, 2008
In a recent blog post, Art Brodsky, Director of Communications at the advocacy group Public Knowledge, launched a broadside attack on ConnectKentucky and Connected Nation, public private partnerships focused on bringing broadband telecommunications to rural communities.
December 11, 2007
A statement by ITIF Senior Analyst Daniel Castro to the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) on the importance of innovation in improving our voting technology.
December 10, 2007
Benchmarking Digital Inclusion, a presentation by ITIF President Rob Atkinson to the Digital Inclusion Forum on December 10, 2007.
November 7, 2007
After a long period over which Europe was catching up to the United States in productivity, this trend has reversed. Lower levels of investment in information and communications technology (ICT) and less effective use of existing ICT explain a significant share of the lower rates of productivity growth in the European Union over the last decade when compared to the United States. The report argues that regaining robust productivity growth will be critical for EU nations over the next several decades as they struggle with a myriad of challenges, including an aging population.
November 7, 2007
A report on proposed legislation to overhaul the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and on proposals to deny immunity to telecommunications carriers that complied with the federal government's surveillance program post 9/11.
October 25, 2007
In a new report, ITIF explores the benefits of using information technology in the health care sector, such as reduced medical costs, improved medical care, and increased access to personal health information. The paper reviews the obstacles that have prevented the widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) and proposes a number of policy recommendations to speed adoption. Specifically, the paper discusses the benefits of establishing independent health record data banks as a sustainable and market-based approach to implementing EHRs. ITIF also recommends other methods to leverage federal resources to speed EHR adoption.
October 23, 2007
ITIF Senior Analyst Julie Hedlund’s testimony on U.S. programs and legislation to support rural broadband access for the House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee.
October 22, 2007
An article of "IEEE Internet Computing Journal" documents how other nations have more robust broadband than the United States.