Regions
Africa
August 19, 2019
Comments to the U.S. International Trade Commission Regarding the Digital Economy and Trade in Sub-Saharan Africa
ITIF’s submission focuses on the ITC’s interest in recent developments in the digital economy for key SSA markets, including national and regional regulatory and policy measures and market conditions that affect digital trade.
May 6, 2019
Fact of the Week: Ethiopian Youth Given $300 Start-up Grants at Random had 36 Percent Higher Wages After One Year, But No Effect After Five Years
When attempting to evaluate the effect that a policy intervention can have on development or innovation, researchers and policymakers routinely look to short-term impacts, both out of urgency and because of the difficulty in maintaining contact with participants over several years.
October 22, 2018
Fact of the Week: Adoption of Mobile Money in Kenya Lifted 194,000 Households Out of Extreme Poverty
Over the last decade, mobile money services have brought banking to populations that have lacked formal financial services by allowing users to manage money on their mobile phones. First launched in Kenya in 2007, 96 percent of Kenyan households now use mobile money and can withdraw funds in physical currency from 110,000 agents across the country.
August 29, 2017
The Handheld Cardio-Pad: Tackling Cardiovascular Disease in Africa Through Innovation
Meet Arthur Zang, a 29 year-old Cameroonian engineer who invented the handheld Cardio-Pad, the world’s first medical tablet facilitating heart examinations and remote diagnosis. The Cardio-Pad is a touch-screen tablet device for conducting cardiac tests such as electrocardiograms in remote locations, and then sending the results to cardiologists in city centers often hundreds of miles away.
August 7, 2017
Zipline Enables Real-time Delivery of Essential Medical Supplies in Rwanda
Rwanda’s government, which has declared a vision of making the country a technology and innovation hub for Africa, has partnered with the startup Zipline to facilitate the real-time delivery of urgent medical supplies, such as blood or vaccines, to patients in remote locations via drones.
Asia-Pacific
September 8, 2023
How the United States and CPTPP Countries Can Stop Vietnam’s Slide Toward China-Like Digital Protection and Authoritarianism
Together, the United States and its like-minded partners in the CPTPP can work together to push Vietnam to remove restrictive and repressive digital policies. But if they fail to act, the challenge of building an open, rules-based, and rights-respecting digital economy will only get harder.
September 3, 2023
Is Korea Serious About Fighting Climate Change?
When it comes to the most important step Korea can take to address global climate change―boosting clean energy R&D―Korea, like most developed nations, is lagging.
July 31, 2023
Time for Korea-US Cooperation to Limit China’s Advanced Tech Gains
Even if Korea implements additional advanced technology policies, it will be increasingly difficult for Korean firms in advanced industries, like electronics, semiconductors, machinery, and autos, to compete against Chinese firms that are backed to the hilt by the Chinese government, writes Rob Atkinson in The Korea Times.
June 22, 2023
Why KFTC Should Put Hold on Proposed Online Platform Act
Rather than blindly copying Europe in efforts to over-regulate its tech economy, Korea and KFTC should take a deep breath and put their digital regulatory efforts away, or at least on hold until we can all learn the results of Europe's regulatory experiment with the DMA.
June 22, 2023
India Semiconductor Readiness Assessment Report: Initial Findings
While India brings significant strengths to the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem, it can become a strong global player by further addressing investment barriers such as the business environment, customs and tariffs, taxation, and infrastructure.
China
October 2, 2023
America Doesn’t Import Too Much From China; the Real Problem Is U.S. Exports Are Too Low
America’s imports from China look large because China is so large. But proportionally, they’re less than those from the other Asian tigers. America’s large trade deficit stems primarily from its lack of high-value manufacturing exports, not just to China but to the world.
September 20, 2023
Testimony to the U.S. House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Trade Regarding Reforming the Generalized System of Preferences to Safeguard U.S. Supply Chains and Combat China
Recent administrations have not done enough to ensure GSP beneficiaries play fair in digital trade. To ensure the GSP program remains relevant in supporting modern U.S. trade, Congress should add explicit criteria defining what constitutes a digital trade barrier.
September 5, 2023
Chinese Manufacturers Use 12 Times More Robots Than U.S. Manufacturers When Controlling for Wages
The implications of this should be clear. The only way for the United States to compete with dollar-adjusted lower manufacturing wages in China is for manufacturers in America to be more productive—and automation, including robotics, is the key way to do that.
August 28, 2023
Speed Up America, Slow Down China, or Both? The Key Strategic Question for the 21st Century
The reality is that if America does not do both—speed itself up, and slow China down—then it will likely lose the techno-economic race in the advanced, traded-sector industries that are most strategically important for the country’s dual-use industrial base and national security.
August 28, 2023
The Real Contest With China
The rivalry between the United States and China has significant diplomatic, military, and ideological aspects, but its most important dimensions are technological and economic.
Europe
September 14, 2023
Transatlantic Subnational Innovation Competitiveness Index 2.0
For policymakers to bolster the global competitiveness of their nations and regions, they first must know where they stand. This report benchmarks the 121 regions of Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Sweden, and the United States using 13 commonly available indicators of strength in the knowledge economy, globalization, and innovation capacity.
August 21, 2023
Is Mona Lisa Happy? EU Would Ban AI That Could Answer This Question
The latest target of tech critics is emotion recognition technology. Unfortunately, the EU appears poised to crack down on this technology, which would be a mistake since most of the criticism directed toward it is largely misguided and fails to consider its potential benefits.
July 20, 2023
The EU’s Vision for a Robust Immersive Tech Sector is Irreconcilable With Its Regulations of Internet Services
The EU's strategy for Web 4.0 and virtual worlds has a laudable goal of fostering a supportive business environment to position the region as a hub for technological innovation. However, this objective is largely incompatible with the EU’s current regulations for Internet services.
June 13, 2023
The UK’s Latest Antitrust Grab Could Be the Final Blow for Its Tech Sector
If enacted, the UK’s Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill could ruin the UK’s ability to compete with other leading tech sectors.
May 18, 2023
Don’t Put US Tech Firms Under the Thumb of the European Commission
The EU is considering a new policy that would force American content providers like Google and Netflix to effectively subsidize European ISPs. The Biden administration should push back at the next meeting of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council.
Global
September 20, 2023
Testimony to the U.S. House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Trade Regarding Reforming the Generalized System of Preferences to Safeguard U.S. Supply Chains and Combat China
Recent administrations have not done enough to ensure GSP beneficiaries play fair in digital trade. To ensure the GSP program remains relevant in supporting modern U.S. trade, Congress should add explicit criteria defining what constitutes a digital trade barrier.
September 13, 2023
A Global Declaration on Free and Open AI
ITIF and a global network of think tanks call on governments around the world to commit to a clear set of principles to ensure generative AI tools serve democratic ideals and promote global progress.
September 12, 2023
Unlocking EU Global Digital Trade: New Study Shows the US’s Key Role in EU Data Adequacy Determinations
The G7’s “data free flow with trust” initiative is still conceptual, but it has the potential to become a venue to develop pragmatic tools to address data privacy and governance issues. However, the G7’s success depends in no small part on the EU being far more pragmatic (rather than dogmatic) in how it works with like-minded countries on data governance issues.
September 11, 2023
How Expanding the Information Technology Agreement to an “ITA-3” Would Bolster Nations’ Economic Growth
Completing a second expansion of the Information Technology Agreement (an “ITA-3”) could bring more than 400 unique ICT products under the ITA’s tariff-eliminating framework, which would add more than $750 billion to the global economy over 10 years.
September 5, 2023
Comparing Data Policy Priorities Around the World
Instead of duplicating any one approach, U.S. policymakers should borrow from the menu of options to craft a cohesive, pro-innovation data strategy.
Latin America
September 14, 2023
Latin American Subnational Innovation Competitiveness Index
For policymakers to bolster the global competitiveness of their nations and regions, they first must know where they stand. This report benchmarks the 182 regions of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and the United States using 13 commonly available indicators of strength in the knowledge economy, in globalization, and in innovation capacity.
June 27, 2022
Latin America’s Advanced Industry Decline: What Explains the Region’s Poor Performance in Growing, or Even Retaining, Its Global Competitiveness in Advanced Industries?
If Latin America wants to avoid this fate, it needs to make a key decision: does it want to look east to China or north to the United States. The United States is leading the world in efforts to get China to roll back its unfair, mercantilist trade and economic policies. But that task will be much harder if the region sides with China or avoids the fight altogether and sits on the sidelines.
June 13, 2022
How Flawed Thinking Limits America’s National Industrial Strategy
Before policymakers can act, there needs to be a consensus that there is a problem, and a role for policy in solving it. When it comes to competitiveness, too many in Washington don’t recognize this.
November 30, 2020
Digital Economy Strategy in Colombia: An Analysis and Recommendations
Colombia faces significant political, social, and economic hurdles in building its digital economy, yet its progress toward developing a robust strategy deserves recognition. It has an opportunity to be a trailblazer and regional role model.
September 16, 2020
Assessing Colombian Government Websites
Citizens and businesses rely on government websites to access important information and services. Unfortunately, many Colombian government websites fail to meet basic website standards for security, speed, mobile friendliness, and accessibility.