Reports & Briefings

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

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December 2, 2019
A Roadmap for Europe to Succeed in the Digital Economy
Europe must harness the power of digital innovation not just to increase economic growth and expand prosperity, but also to address important societal challenges related to the environment, public health, transportation, and other pressing concerns.
December 2, 2019
Less Certain Than Death: Using Tax Incentives to Drive Clean Energy Innovation
Tax incentives can play an important role in accelerating the innovations needed for a low-carbon future, but only if the incentives reward innovators rather than support well-entrenched incumbents.
December 2, 2019
Ten Facts About the State of the Economy for U.S. Workers Without College Degrees
The most important policy to boost economic opportunity is one that focuses on shifting the occupational mix toward fewer low-wage jobs and more middle-wage ones.
November 18, 2019
How Data Can Help in the Fight Against the Opioid Epidemic in the United States
The maxim “you can’t manage what you can’t measure” has never been so relevant. The failure to effectively leverage data has undoubtedly cost many lives and caused severe social and economic damage to communities ravaged by opioid addiction.
November 18, 2019
The 2019 Global Mercantilist Index: Ranking Nations’ Distortive Trade Policies
The Global Mercantilist Index, ranking 60 nations on 18 variables ranging from market access and forced localization to currency manipulation and intellectual property protections, finds that China is the world’s most innovation-mercantilist nation.
November 12, 2019
The Enterprise Automation Imperative—Why Modern Societies Will Need All the Productivity They Can Get
Contrary to common belief, enterprise automation is not a cause for alarm, but instead a societal imperative. Modern nations will need all the productivity they can get to address today’s ever-more-resource-constrained challenges.
November 4, 2019
Supporting Financial Innovation Through Flexible Regulation
Policymakers should encourage financial innovation by using regulatory processes and approaches that promote flexible oversight, including stakeholder engagement, coordination, experimentation, alternative supervision, and regtech.
October 28, 2019
A Policymaker’s Guide to the “Techlash”—What It Is and Why It’s a Threat to Growth and Progress
Growing animus toward “Big Tech” companies and generalized opposition to technological innovation engenders support for policies that are expressly designed to inhibit it. That is deeply problematic for future progress, prosperity, and competitiveness.
October 21, 2019
U.S. Funding for University Research Continues to Slide
The United States continues to fall further behind world leaders in funding for university research. To reverse course, it should increase support by $45 billion per year and provide stronger incentives for businesses to increase their investments.
October 15, 2019
Robotics and the Future of Production and Work
The use of robotics will increase productivity and has the potential to bring more manufacturing production work back to developed countries. As productivity increases, labor is likely to receive a significant share of the benefits.

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