Reports & Briefings

For brief overviews of how key technologies work and why they matter, see ITIF’s “Technology Explainer Series.”

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November 29, 2021
Assessing the State of Digital Skills in the U.S. Economy
An increasingly digitalized global economy requires ever-more digitally skilled workforces for nations to remain productive. Unfortunately, domestic and international assessments of digital skills show the United States is lagging its competitors.
November 29, 2021
Improving Consumer Welfare with Data Portability
Data portability requirements should be carefully designed to avoid imposing unnecessary costs on organizations, exposing proprietary information, or undermining consumer privacy.
November 22, 2021
Big Is Beautiful: Strengthening Growth and Competitiveness in the Canadian Economy
Report for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute: Instead of succumbing to the “small is beautiful, big is ugly” narrative, Canada must recognize the critical role large businesses play in a growing, competitive economy with high productivity and wages.
November 22, 2021
The Value of Personalized Advertising in Europe
Banning personalized ads would threaten about €6 billion of income for the European app economy—a sector that employs 1.5 million people in the EU.
November 22, 2021
Going, Going, Gone? To Stay Competitive in Biopharmaceuticals, America Must Learn From Its Semiconductor Mistakes
America has lost 70 percent of its semiconductor manufacturing capacity over the last three decades. That serves as a harsh lesson for policymakers: Failing to maintain a supportive policy environment could set up other high-tech industries to falter, too.
November 15, 2021
Public Policy for the Metaverse: Key Takeaways from the 2021 AR/VR Policy Conference
AR/VR technologies have transformative potential in everything from entertainment and communication to workforce development and education. But they also raise unique considerations on issues that policymakers are grappling with in relation to other technologies, such as privacy, safety, security, and equity.
November 8, 2021
Mapping the International 5G Standards Landscape and How It Impacts U.S. Strategy and Policy
Standards-setting bodies for 5G technology appear to be working well, but U.S. policymakers are justifiably wary of China’s ambitions to manipulate the system. They should stay on guard and provide financial support for U.S. companies to participate.
November 8, 2021
Climate-Tech to Watch: Perovskite Solar Photovoltaic Cells
Silicon-based photovoltaic technology is reaching its practical efficiency limits. Perovskite solar cells, which can be fine-tuned to absorb different colors of the solar spectrum, could be a game-changer, offering the tantalizing possibility of more efficient, cheaper solar power.
November 2, 2021
ITIF Technology Explainer: How Do Online Ads Work?
Online ads support the vast array of free apps and content on the Internet. Advertisers can use ad networks to deliver relevant ads to users through two primary methods: contextual ads and personalized ads.
November 1, 2021
Open Radio Access Networks: A Primer for Policymakers
Open Radio Access Networks (Open RANs) would define open standards and interfaces between components of wireless RANs, providing a unique opportunity to diversify the supply chain by separating today’s integrated, single-provider RAN systems into modular parts.

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