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To Do: Limit Development Aid to Countries That Engage in Digital Protectionism

To Do: Limit Development Aid to Countries That Engage in Digital Protectionism
Knowledge Base Article in: Tech Policy To-Do List
Last Updated: February 7, 2025

Recommendation

Congress should require U.S. aid to be contingent on countries not engaging in digital protectionism.

Details

Since the end of WWII, U.S. foreign aid programs have ignored foreign mercantilist practices that harmed U.S. techno-economic interests, and that is no longer acceptable. Congress, with its oversight of various federal aid programs, should investigate and require that these agencies limit funding to countries engaging in digital mercantilism or IP theft. Specifically, development aid through the InterAmerican Development Bank or the World Bank should be contingent on nations limiting digital protectionism wherever possible.

Keep reading:

Robert D. Atkinson, “Testimony to the US House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee: Protecting American Innovation by Establishing and Enforcing Strong Digital Trade Rules” (ITIF, September 2024), https://itif.org/publications/2024/09/20/testimony-house-ways-and-means-trade-subcommittee-strong-digital-trade-rules/.

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