No one has done more to shape the narrative about income inequality in America than economist Thomas Piketty. But he and his colleagues have been making questionable methodological choices that maximize the jarring effect of their findings.
Reports & Briefings
February 26, 2018
ITIF has conducted in-depth analyses showing that while superior productivity growth did contribute to U.S. manufacturing job losses, the bigger factor was unfair foreign trade practices and the U.S. manufacturing sector’s lack of competitiveness.
February 20, 2018
Rather than slow down technological disruption to protect a small number of workers at the expense of the vast majority who are benefiting, policymakers should focus on doing significantly more to help those who are displaced transition successfully into new jobs and occupations.
February 12, 2018
Life-sciences companies grow best in locations that can combine qualities like a good business environment, skilled workers, strong research universities, and available capital. Strengthening these and related factors can give states a stronger competitive advantage.
January 22, 2018
Brazil, China, Indonesia, Russia, and Vietnam fielded some of the year’s worst innovation mercantilist policies. Their targets included Internet-based services, electric vehicles, biopharmaceuticals, computers and electronics.
January 16, 2018
While there is much excitement about autonomous vehicles, connected vehicles hold much more promise over the next decade or so. However, absent proactive public policies, especially to enable infrastructure to “talk” to vehicles, the development and adoption of connected vehicles will be suboptimal.
January 8, 2018
All states, but especially the laggards, would benefit from policies to attract more industry research funding, particularly as such funding appears to generate technology-based economic activity.
December 6, 2017
Most competitiveness strategies focus on broad measures such as improving the business environment or supporting better factor inputs for firms. While necessary, these steps do not constitute an effective competitiveness strategy. Policymakers must go much deeper.
November 28, 2017
The number of technology-based start-ups surged 47 percent in the last decade. These firms still account for a relatively small share of all businesses, but they have an outsized impact on economic growth, because they provide better-paying, longer-lasting jobs than other start-ups, and they contribute more to innovation, productivity, and competitiveness.
November 27, 2017
A year after ITIF first collected data on the most popular federal websites, more than nine out of 10 continue to fall short of government and industry standards for design and development.