Commentary
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Setting the Policy Agenda on Innovation Issues
- Alongside our in-depth policy reports, ITIF’s long-running Innovation Files blog serves as a forum where analysts provide quick takes, quips, and commentary on the latest in technology and innovation policy.
- Other blogs from ITIF include In the Arena, Rob Atkinson’s notes on the battle of ideas (also on Substack at policyarena.org), plus special series, such as The Brussels Effect, examining how the EU exports its regulatory agenda; Defending Digital, examining spurious critiques of the tech industry; and Innovate4Health, covering the intersection between intellectual property and life sciences innovation.
- ITIF analysts also frequently contribute op-eds and commentary pieces to leading publications around the world.
September 14, 2026|Blogs
Fact of the Week: H-1B Immigration Raised Native Non-STEM Workers’ Incomes by About 15 Percent in Computer Systems Design
A 1 percentage point increase in an industry’s exposure to H-1B workers raises the long-run income of college-educated native workers in non-STEM occupations by about a 1.21 percent increase. In Computer Systems Design, the industry most exposed to H-1B immigration, this translates into an approximately 15 percent increase in long-run income for native non-STEM workers.
September 14, 2026|Blogs
Chairman Carr’s Defense of Broadcast Content Regulation Draws Historical Distinctions Without Legal Differences
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr argues that broadcast content regulation is justified by the government’s role in allocating scarce spectrum. But the historical and technical distinctions he draws between broadcasting and other media do not justify subjecting broadcast speech to lesser First Amendment protection.
September 10, 2026|Blogs
Washington Is Still in Denial About China’s Techno-Economic Challenge
Washington is now more focused on China but remains in denial about the threat. Fourteen rationalizations explain why its techno-economic response remains limited.
September 10, 2026|Op-Eds & Contributed Articles
Rethinking Cloud Sovereignty: Canada Doesn’t Need to Own the Cloud—It Needs to Control It
The United States has imposed tariffs on Canada and mused about making it the 51st state, and Canadians are reasonably asking what it means to run hospitals and government services on infrastructure operated by firms answerable to US law and, in the end, to US politics.
September 9, 2026|Blogs
Two Truths and a Lie About the U.S.–Canada Trade Breakdown
As U.S.-Canada trade tensions escalate, both countries risk weakening the North American production base they need to compete with China—and turning a manageable dispute into a costly, self-defeating trade war.
September 8, 2026|Blogs
Fact of the Week: Firms Investing More in AI Experienced Roughly One Additional Percentage Point of Productivity Growth Per Year
Firms that increased their investment in artificial intelligence experienced significantly faster productivity growth from 2018 to 2024, roughly one additional percentage point of productivity growth per year.
September 7, 2026|Blogs
What Communities Stand to Lose by Blocking Data Centers
Data centers can deliver substantial tax revenue, jobs, infrastructure investment, and lower utility costs when communities adopt policies that capture their benefits while managing local impacts.
September 4, 2026|Blogs
The US Should Harness Private-Sector Cyber Power Responsibly
Enlisting private companies in offensive cyber operations could strengthen U.S. efforts against transnational cybercrime, but the program needs rigorous guardrails and congressional oversight to limit collateral damage and escalation.
September 4, 2026|Blogs
Antitrust Overreach Comes for Zillow
Antitrust battles over digital markets have spread well beyond Big Tech to other leading online firms, threatening productivity and dynamism across the digital economy.
September 4, 2026|Blogs
Tracking Pax Silica’s Evolution: A Timeline
Major agreements, new participants, and key diplomatic and industrial milestones in the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative, which aims to secure global supply chains that underpin AI and other advanced technologies.
