The Competitiveness and Innovative
 

Capacity of the United States
 

January 2012

Prepared by the

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

In consultation with the

NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL

 

   

 

 

Table of Contents

Foreword .......................................................................................................... iii
 

Executive Summary......................................................................................... v
 

1. Rising to the Challenge............................................................................... 1 – 1
 

Exceptional Performance .......................................................................................... 1 – 1
 

Alarms ....................................................................................................................... 1 – 4
 

Addressing the Alarms .............................................................................................. 1 – 10
 

2. Keys to Innovation, Competitiveness, and Jobs ...................................... 2 – 1
 

Concepts and Definitions........................................................................................... 2 – 2
 

What Made the United States So Successful in the Past? ........................................ 2 – 4
 

Interconnections ........................................................................................................ 2 – 9
 

3. Federal Support for Research and Development ..................................... 3 – 1 

The Economic Justification for the Federal Government’s Role in Funding 

for Basic Research .................................................................................................... 3 – 1 

The Federal Government: A Key Force Driving Major Innovations ........................... 3 – 7 

Cracks in the Federal Research Foundation ............................................................. 3 – 13 

Preserving and Extending Federal Support for Science and Industrial R&D in the 

21st Century ............................................................................................................... 3 – 14 

Appendix 1. Definitions of Relevant Terms................................................................ 3 – 18 

Appendix 2. The Theoretical Underpinnings for a Federal Role in Research 

Funding...................................................................................................................... 3 – 19 

4. Educating Our Workforce ........................................................................... 4 – 1
 

The STEM Workforce is Expanding........................................................................... 4 – 2
 

STEM Skills in Demand Throughout the Economy ................................................... 4 – 4
 

Many U.S. Universities Are Outstanding But Our Production of U.S. STEM 

Graduates Is Not ....................................................................................................... 4 – 6
 

The High Cost of College and Poor Academic Preparation Deter Students.............. 4 – 9
 

Demographics Create Challenges and Opportunities for Growth ............................. 4 – 12
 

The Foreign-Born Are Key Members of the STEM Workforce .................................. 4 – 14
 

The Administration is Lowering the Barriers to a College Education......................... 4 – 15
 

5. Infrastructure for the 21st Century.............................................................. 5 – 1
 

Introduction................................................................................................................ 5 – 1
 

Definitions of 21st Century Infrastructure ................................................................... 5 – 3
 

How Does Our 21st Century Infrastructure Stack Up? ............................................... 5 – 4
 

Ensuring the United States’ 21st Century Infrastructure is Sound.............................. 5 – 12
 

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY i 
 

6. Revitalizing Manufacturing ......................................................................... 6 – 1
 

A Strong Manufacturing Sector is Uniquely Important to the U.S. Economy.............. 6 – 1
 

The Current State of U.S. Manufacturing: A Crossroads for American
 

Competitiveness......................................................................................................... 6 – 4
 

Economic Rationales for Federal Government Support for U.S. Manufacturing........ 6 – 8
 

Longstanding Federal Government Support for U.S. Manufacturing ......................... 6 – 9
 

Federal Initiatives to Revive Manufacturing ............................................................... 6 – 16
 

7. The Private Sector as the Engine of Innovation ....................................... 7 – 1
 

Introduction ................................................................................................................ 7 – 1
 

Regional Clusters and Entrepreneurship ................................................................... 7 – 1
 

Startup America.......................................................................................................... 7 – 6
 

Promoting America’s Exports and Improving Access to Foreign Markets.................. 7 – 8
 

Corporate Taxes......................................................................................................... 7 – 10
 

Ensuring a Well-Functioning Intellectual Property Rights System ............................. 7 – 11
 

Moving Forward ............................................................................................... M – 1
 

Supplemental Materials................................................................................... S – 1
 

Innovation Advisory Board Members ......................................................................... S – 3
 

Section 604 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010...................... S – 4
 

ii U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreword
 On January 4, 2011, President Barack Obama signed into law the America 

COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (COMPETES). Section 604 of COMPETES 

mandates that the Secretary of Commerce complete a study that addresses the 

economic competitiveness and innovative capacity of the United States (see Supplemental Materials). Congress directed that this report address a diverse array 

of topics and policy options, including: tax policy; the general business climate in 

the U.S.; regional issues such as the role of state and local governments in higher 

education; barriers to setting up new firms; trade policy, including export promotion; the effectiveness of Federal research and development policy; intellectual 

property regimes in the U.S. and abroad; the health of the manufacturing sector; 

and science and technology education. 

In conducting this study, COMPETES specified that the Secretary of Commerce establish a process for obtaining comments. One part of that process was to establish a 15 member Innovation Advisory Board (IAB) “for purposes of obtaining 

advice with respect to the conduct of the study.” The Department of Commerce 

announced the members of the IAB (listed in the Supplementary Materials section of this report) on May 4, 2011, and the inaugural meeting of the IAB was on 

June 6, 2011, in Alexandria, Virginia. A second meeting of the IAB was held September 23, 2011, in Boulder, Colorado. IAB members provided input into the process throughout the summer. Additionally, some IAB members generously hosted 

COMPETES-related events in Washington, D.C.; Youngstown, Ohio; Morgantown, 

West Virginia; Philadelphia, PA; and New York, NY. These events brought together 

community and business leaders, and experts in a wide variety of areas, to share 

their ideas on competitiveness. Department of Commerce and Administration

staff attended all of these meetings.

Additionally, we received input from a number of other groups at various events. 

These included an all day event with a group of prominent academic economists 

in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a conference at the Silicon Flatirons’ Center 

for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado. Other 

groups, as well as the general public, provided additional input. 

We are very grateful for the generosity of all contributors, but special thanks go 

to the Innovation Advisory Board members—they passionately care about the future of this country and have been willing to give their valuable time and expertise to enrich this process. 

Sincerely, 

John E. Bryson 

Secretary of Commerce 

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AN D INNOVATIVE CAPACITY iii 

 

                       

                   

                     

                         

                         

                     

                   

                   

                       

                         

                           

                     

                               

     

                       

                         

                           

                       

                       

                 

                     

                     

                     

                     

                     

                           

                     

                     

                   

                   

                   

                 

                       

                     

                             

                     

Executive
 

Summary
 

The U.S. economy reigned supreme in the 20th century, becoming the largest,

most productive, and most competitive in the world; amazing new technologies

were invented and commercialized; the workforce became the most educated in

the world; and incomes soared while a large middle class emerged and thrived.

As the 21st century approached, however, alarms began to sound about the U.S.

economy’s ability to remain in this preeminent position. Incomes stagnated and

job growth slowed. Other countries became better educated and our manufac‐

turing sector lost ground to foreign competitors. Observers have expressed con‐

cern that the scientific and technological building blocks critical to our economic

leadership have been eroding at a time when many other nations are actively lay‐

ing strong foundations in these same areas. In short, some elements of the U.S.

economy are losing their competitive edge which may mean that future genera‐

tions of Americans will not enjoy a higher standard of living than is enjoyed in the

United States today.

Innovation is the key driver of competitiveness, wage and job growth, and long‐

term economic growth. Therefore, one way to approach the question of how to

improve the competitiveness of the United States is to look to the past and exam‐

ine the factors that helped unleash the tremendous innovative potential of the

private sector. Among these factors, three pillars have been key: Federal support

for basic research, education, and infrastructure. Federally supported research

laid the groundwork for the integrated circuit and the subsequent computer in‐

dustry; the Internet; and advancesin chemicals, agriculture, and medical science.

Millions of workers can trace their industries and companies back to technologi‐

cal breakthroughs funded by the government. The U.S. educational system in the

20th century produced increasing numbers of high school and college graduates,

more so than anywhere else in the world. These highly skilled workers, in turn,

boosted innovation. The transformation of infrastructure in the 20th century was

nothing short of amazing: the country became electrified, clean water became

widely available, air transport became ubiquitous, and the interstate highway

system was planned and constructed. All of these developments helped busi‐

nesses compete by opening up markets and keeping costs low.

Common to all three pillars—research, education, and infrastructure—is that

they are areas where government has made, and should continue to make, signif‐

icant investments. For a variety of reasons, the private sector under‐invests in

these areas so the government needs to step in to bring investment up to the

socially optimal levels. An additional common thread between these three pillars

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY v 
 

                           

                         

                             

                           

                               

                             

                 

                           

                     

                     

                               

                   

                       

                     

                       

                           

                   

                       

                         

                       

                 

                       

                         

                         

                         

                             

                       

                         

                     

                           

                       

                 

is that the benefits of these investments took years to be fully realized. For in‐

stance, we are still benefiting today from investments made in the 19th century,

such as the Morrill Act of 1862, which laid the foundation for the land grant uni‐

versity system in all states. In the 20th century, World War II‐era research became

the basis of the transistor; and in the 1960s, all of the benefits from investing in

science made the United States the leader of the space race as well as the infor‐

mation technology industry. This long‐term outlook should not be forgotten.

The need for the Federal government to play an important role in the first pil‐

lar—research, particularly basic research–derives from the fact that there is a di‐

vergence between the private and social returns of research activities which

leads to less innovative activity in the private sector than is what is best for our

country. However, government support of basic research can remedy this prob‐

lem. The benefits from Federal research and development (R&D) support are not

just theoretical: as mentioned above, the Federal government has played a cru‐

cial role in the development of many key innovations of the mid‐ to late‐20th cen‐

tury.

Federal funding for basic research has been increasing, but at a slower pace than

economic growth. To improve the trajectory of American innovation, thoughtful,

decisive, and targeted actions are needed, some of which already have been pro‐

posed. These actions include sustaining the levels of funding for basic research by

the Federal government, extending a tax credit for private‐sector R&D to give

companies appropriate and well‐designed incentives to boost innovation above

the baseline level that would have been reached absent these incentives, and im‐

proving the methods by which basic research is transferred from the lab into

commercial products.

Education, the second pillar, is also critical to foster innovation and to increase

living standards. The advances in education in the 20th century helped propel the

economic rise of the United States as it became the richest nation on the planet.

However, by many measures, the U.S. education system has slipped. By some ac‐

counts, the United States’ system of higher education remains the best in the

world and educates our country’s and our competitors’ future scientists and engi‐

neers, factors such as poor preparation in math and science and the high cost

of college tuition and expenses are restricting the flow of American science, tech‐

nology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates from our universities.

vi U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                   

                   

                         

           

                           

                     

                         

                         

                       

                   

                       

                         

                     

               

                       

             

                       

                             

                     

                         

                     

                       

                             

                       

                         

       

                   

               

                       

                   

                       

                     

                         

     

Ongoing and new Administration initiatives are addressing these challenges by

making college more affordable, spurring classroom innovation at all levels, ex‐

panding the size and quality of the STEM teacher ranks, and encouraging and fa‐

cilitating students’ and workers’ continued STEM education.

In the past, the United States led the way in several key areas of infrastructure de‐

velopment, the third pillar of innovative capacity, starting with the railroad sys‐

tem of the 1800’s. In today’s economy, the nature of infrastructure needed to

compete is changing and the United States is lagging behind in certain key as‐

pects of a 21st century infrastructure (such as broadband Internet access) and fac‐

ing capacity constraints for other aspects (wireless communications) given the

high demand for these services. Ensuring that the United States has the infra‐

structure it needs to be competitive in the 21st century will require both addi‐

tional support by the government and an appropriate policy framework to

enable the private sector to build on the government’s support.

A crucial component of the United States’ future competitive strength is a flour‐

ishing manufacturing sector. Manufacturing creates high‐paying jobs, provides

the bulk of U.S. exports, and spurs innovation. While manufacturing continues to

play a vital role in the U.S. economy and provides jobs for millions of Americans,

it also has faced significant challenges, especially over the last decade. Manufac‐

turing’s share of GDP and the number of workers in manufacturing has fallen,

while the trade balance in manufactured goods has worsened. In the manufac‐

turing sector, the Federal government has historically played an important role in

providing a level playing field and must do so with renewed vigor to ensure that

manufacturing continues to thrive in the United States. The current and future

health of the manufacturing sector is strongly linked to the investments we make

in research, education, and infrastructure.

Increasing the competitiveness and the capacity to innovate goes beyond im‐

proving research, education, infrastructure and manufacturing. Many other

policies that ensure the private sector has the best possible environment in

which to innovate contribute to competitiveness, including incentives to form

regional clusters, promotion of exports and access to foreign markets, the level

and structure of corporate taxes, and an effective intellectual property regime

(domestically and abroad). In each of these areas, the Federal government has an

important role to play.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY vii 
 

                             

                             

                         

                           

                 

The challenges are great, but the United States has a strong base on which to

build and to rise to these challenges. There are clear actions that can help this na‐

tion regain its innovative and competitive footing. To succeed, we must have the

will to implement and to sustain the policies that will prepare the United States

to continue to be an economic leader in the 21st century.

viii U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 




 

                             

                     

                       

                         

                     

                         

                     

                         

                         

                       

                         

                       

                   

                     

  

                       

                       

                             

                   

                         

                         

                       

                         

                         

                   

                         

                       

                     

                       

                             

                       

                 

Rising    to the

Challenge

The U.S. economy was the world leader in the 20th century; moving into the 21st

century, however, various parties have raised alarms about whether this nation’s

economy can continue to be competitive. The U.S. economy remains the largest

in the world, possessing a highly skilled work force, world class companies, and,

according to some, the world’s best higher education system. Despite these posi‐

tive attributes, U.S. citizens have been hit by stagnating job growth and falling in‐

comes, while businesses have faced increasing global competition. In short, the

concern is that future generations of Americans will not enjoy a higher standard

of living than is enjoyed today. With the right policies and commitment, the

United States can compete globally and provide its citizens with better lives.

Exceptional Performance

During the 20th century, the pace of innovation was staggering, leading to new in‐

dustries and companies, such as those in the biotech and information technology

fields. Innovation also spurred growth in traditional industries, as businesses fun‐

damentally changed the way they produced and distributed their goods and ser‐

vices.

In the process, the United States became the world’s most innovative, most edu‐

cated, and most competitive nation. Since 1980, the United States made up be‐

tween 20 and 25 of the world’s economy while having only about 5 percent of

the world’s population.1 The exceptional economic performance of the United

States helped to improve the lives of its citizens, particularly during the decades

after World War II. Between 1950 and 2000, incomessoared, with real disposable

personal income per capita increasing 213 percent, from $9,240 to $28,899.2 The

U.S. economy created millions of new jobs, many in new firms and industries.

These economic gains were coupled with gains in other areas. The United States

provided electricity and phone service throughout the country, built the Inter‐

state Highway System, provided clean water to hundreds of millions, put men on

the moon, developed the Internet, and decoded the human genome. (Box 1.1 de‐

scribes in more detail the construction of the Interstate Highway System.) Ad‐

vances in medical science helped propel significant increases in life expectancy in

the United States. Life spans, as measured at birth, rose from 47.3 years in 1900

to 77.9 in 2007.3 Advances in agricultural science increased the productivity of

our farms by 150 percent between 1948 and 2008.4

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 1 – 1 
1 – 2 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY

The United States has a strong tradition of scientific advancement; about 40 per‐

cent of Nobel Prizes have been awarded to U.S. citizens5 and a 2011 study placed

40 percent of the world’s 100 most innovative companies in the United States.6

Box 1.1 The Interstate Highway System

Perhaps no other infrastructure investment in the United States so transformed

society as the Interstate Highway System. The Federal‐Aid Highway Act of 1956

was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and it authorized $25

billion for the construction of 41,000 miles of highways (see the map below), at

the time making it the largest public works program in American history. As of

1991, construction cost $128.9 billion for about 43,000 of the system’s miles.

About 90 percent of the funding came from the Federal government, generally

from revenue raised by taxes on motor fuel, and about 10 percent from the

states.

Today, after more than 50 years, there are more than 46,000 miles in the Inter‐

state Highway System. It is often touted as one of the greatest public works in‐

vestments in the nation’s history. The Interstate Highway System replaced a

lower capacity, lower speed, less safe, and more expensive (per mile of travel)

highway system. The system thus allowed regions and localities that were not

part of the nation’s economy to become integrated and open to new economic

opportunities.1

Map of the United States Interstate Highway System

1. Source: mappery.com/maps/United‐States‐Interstate‐Map.
 

                       

                         

                         

                               

                         

     

                     

                          

                   

                     

                     

States across the country contributed to and benefitted from the U.S. economic

strength during the 20th century. From 1963 to 2008, state‐level real income per

person increased in every state by at least 79 percent, and some states experi‐

enced gains of close to 300 percent. A total of 34 states (including the District of

Columbia, which had the highest increase) saw growth of more than 150 percent

(see figure 1.1).

Figure 1.1 

Growth in Real 

GDP per Capita by 

State, 1963–2008 

79–100% 

100–150% 

220–300% 

150–220% 

Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Economics and Statistics Administration calculations.
 

Note: Percent change in real Gross Domestic Product per capita by state, 1963 (first available 


year of data) to 2008.
 

Successful, world‐class companies are located in virtually every state in the

United States; 39 states are home to at least one Fortune 500 company. Within

states, and across state boundaries, regional innovation clusters arose. Silicon

Valley became the world’s information technology (IT) epicenter, but other areas

also contributed significantly to the IT revolution, including the regional industry

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 1 – 3 
 

                 

                   

                     

                       

                       

                       

                   

                         

                     

                     

                       

                       

                             

                           

                   

                             

                       

                           

                         

                               

           

   

                         

                       

                         

                             

                     

                     

                       

                           

                   

clusters in Texas, Washington State, Massachusetts, Georgia, North Carolina, Vir‐

ginia, and Michigan (“Automation Alley”, in Southeast Michigan). Major medical

advances have been made in many states, including Alabama, California, and

Pennsylvania.

Over time, Americans came to take these economic advances for granted and ex‐

pected these trends to continue into the future. This economic progress fueled

belief in an important facet of the American dream—the expectation that our

children’s quality of life would be better than our own.

Alarms

While the United States exited the 20th century as the undisputed economic and

innovation leader, the competitive landscape was shifting.7 As the economies of

more countries around the world grew and developed, these countries became

stronger competitors to the United States. Though there are benefits to the

United States from these changes, alarms are being raised about these trends

and there is also growing angst that the United States is no longer competing as

strongly on the world economic stage. One recent poll found that 47 percent of

Americans “strongly agree” and 43 percent “somewhat agree” with the state‐

ment that the United States is in danger of losing its global competitive edge in

innovation.8 Another survey found that 71 percent of Americans believe that our

high schools are falling short when it comesto preparing studentsforscience and

engineering jobs and 76 percent believe that if the next generation does not

work to improve its science and math skills, it risks becoming the first one that is

worse off than its parents’ generation.9

Alarm 1: Jobs

The United States’ ability to create jobs has deteriorated during the past decade.

Employment increased at an annual rate of just 0.6 percent between the Febru‐

ary 2001 and January 2008 employment peaks (figure 1.2). This rate is one‐third

as fast as the 1.8 annual rate of employment growth between the June 1990 and

February 2001 employment peaks. A recent study by McKinsey Global Institute

found that the United States has been experiencing increasingly lengthy jobless

recoveries: “it took roughly 6 months for employment to recover to its prereces‐

sion level after each postwar recession through the 1980s, but it took 15 months

after the 1990–91 recession and 39 months after the 2001 recession.”10

1 – 4 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

           

                           

                 

                             

                       

                           

                       

                       

                             

                           

                         

                             

                       

                           

                       

Figure 1.2 

Nonfarm Payroll 

Employment, 

1980–2011 

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
 

150 

140 

130 

120 

110 

100 

90 

80 

70 

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Note: In millions of jobs. 

Alarm 2: Wages and the Middle Class

The middle class in the United States has struggled as incomes and wages have

generally stagnated. One commonly referenced measure of the financial well‐be‐

ing of the middle class is real median household income; that is, the income of

households in the middle of the income distribution after adjusting for inflation.

From 1980 to its peak in 1999, real median household income increased about 20

percent (see figure 1.3). Since that peak, real median household income has

stalled, and even before the Great Recession, real median household income fell

from $53,252 in 1999 to $52,823 in 2007 (in 2010 dollars). Individuals at the very

top of the income distribution have fared better during thistime than others; one

study found that between 1993 and 2008, income grew almost 4 percent per

year for those with incomes in the top 1 percent of the income distribution.11 The

lack of income growth echoes the lack of earnings growth workers have experi‐

enced over recent decades. With few exceptions (such as the second half of the

1990s), the typical American worker has experienced long stretches of flat or

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 1 – 5 
 

 

 

                           

                       

                         

                       

                     

                       

         

                     

                       

                           

   

                   

                     

                 

                     

Figure 1.3 

U.S. Median 

Household Income, 

1977–2009 

$53,000 

$51,000 

$49,000 

$47,000 

$45,000 

$43,000 

$41,000 

1977 80 83 86 89 92 95 98 2001 04 07 10 

Source: Household Median Income from the U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 


Annual Social and Economic Supplements.
 

Note: In 2010 dollars.
 

even declining earnings for full‐time work, despite an incredible rise in his or her

productivity. Between the fourth quarter 1979 and the fourth quarter 2010 (that

is, essentially over the length of a generation), real median weekly earnings of

full‐time wage and salary workers edged up just 4.9 percent, while workers’ pro‐

ductivity increased 90.9 percent. Reasons offered for these wage trends include

the decline in the fraction of workers covered by collective bargaining, increased

international competition, technological change, immigration, and minimum

wages, among others.12 Regardless of the reasons, this stagnation makes it im‐

possible for many Americans to increase their financial standard of living and

feeds the perception that the next generation will be no better off than its par‐

ents’ generation.

Alarm 3: Manufacturing

These employment and wage trends also roughly coincide with the increased

pressure from abroad faced by the U.S. manufacturing sector (though the manu‐

facturing sector has increasingly relied on foreign markets). The manufactured

goods trade balance has worsened. In 2010, the trade deficit in manufactured

1 – 6 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

 

 

                             

                         

                     

                           

           

                           

                   

   

                     

                   

                   

                           

               

                     

                     

���� 

���� 

���� 

���� 

�� 

��� 

��� 

Figure 1.4 ��� 

Advanced 

Technology 

Products Trade 

Balance, 

1990–2010 

goods was $565.4 billion and is on track to exceed that amount in 2011, even

with strong export growth.13 The United States continues to lose ground in key

manufacturing sectors, including those sectors that are likely to drive our econ‐

omy in the future. The United States ran a trade surplus in “advanced technology

products,” which includes biotechnology products, computers, semiconductors,

and robotics, until 2002 (see figure 1.4).14 In 2010, however, the United Statesran

an $81 billion trade deficit in this critically important sector.15

���� ����������� ����������� ���� �������������������� �� ��
 

����� 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division.
 

Note: Billions of dollars. In nominal dollars.
 

Alarm 4: Innovation

After reviewing 16 key indicators—such as the number of scientists and engi‐

neers, corporate and government R&D, venture capital, productivity, and trade

performance—the July 2011 Atlantic Century report indicated that the United

States had made little or no progress in its competitiveness since 1999 and now

ranks fourth in innovation‐based competitiveness.16 A report from 2005, Rising

Above the Gathering Storm—a volume authored by a committee convened in

2005 by the National Academy of Sciences—expressed deep concern that the

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 1 – 7 
 

                     

                           

                       

                     

       

   

                           

                         

                           

                       

                       

                     

                       

Korea

Finland

Switzerland

Japan

Canada

Netherlands

New Zealand

Belgium

Australia

Germany

Estonia

Iceland

Denmark

Slovenia

Norway

France

Slovak Republic

Austria

Poland

Sweden

Czech Republic

United Kingdom

Hungary

Luxembourg

United States

Ireland

Portugal

Italy

Spain

Greece

Israel

Turkey

Chile

Mexico 

scientific and technological building blocks critical to the economic leadership of

the United States were eroding at a time when many other nations were actively

laying strong foundations in these same areas.17 In their 2010 follow‐up report,

that same committee unanimously stated that “our nation’s outlook has not im‐

proved but rather has worsened.”18

Alarm 5: Education

The United States is struggling to prepare U.S. students in math and science. In

2009, U.S. 15‐year‐olds had an average score of 487 on the mathematics literacy

scale, which was lower than the OECD average score of 496 (see figure 1.5).

Seventeen OECD countries ranked above the United States in math, and some

11 other countries had scores that were not significantly different from the

U.S. math score. Additionally, science and reading scores were only average

and on an earlier assessment of student problem solving ability (2003 Program

Figure 1.5 550 

U.S. Math Test
 

Scores for 8th 525
 

Graders Remain 

Below OECD 500 OECD average

Averages 

475 

450 

425 

400
 

Source: OECD, PISA 2009 database. 

1 – 8 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                 

             

   

                             

                     

                           

                   

                         

                           

                     

                   

                           

                       

       

Figure 1.6 

Computer and 

Internet Use by 

Urban and Rural 

Location, 2010 

for International Student Assessment (PISA)), U.S. students scored behind most

of the other developed nations in the world.19

Alarm 6: Infrastructure

Delays at airports, time lost in traffic jams, bridges in need of repair, and ports

that cannot handle the newest ships exemplify how traditional infrastructure in

the United States has failed to keep pace with its growing population. The result

is higher costs for businesses and inconvenience for all. Digital infrastructure,

though stellar in some respects, has not yet reached large portions of our popula‐

tion, making it difficult for them to participate in the 21st century economy. Large

and disturbing differences in broadband adoption still persist by income, race

and ethnicity, and education. Also, some communities are disadvantaged with re‐

spect to broadband access and use. For example, those living in urban areas were

much more likely to have access to broadband Internet connections relative to

rural consumers (see figure 1.6).

100% 

90% 

80% 

70% 

60% 

50% 

40% 

30% 

20% 

10% 

0% 

Urban (Metropolitan) Rural (Non-metropolitan) 

22% 

5% 

30% 

70% 

8% 

No computer 

Computer, no 

Internet 

Dial-up 

Broadband 

2% 

57% 

5% 

Source: Economics and Statistics Administration and National Telecommunciations and Information 


Administration. Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home. Washington, D.C: 


U.S. Department of Commerce, November 2011. 

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 1 – 9 
 

   

                         

               

                         

                   

                                         

                                       

           

                 

                             

                   

                       

                     

                   

                           

                     

                       

                               

                   

                           

         

                         

                       

                         

                       

                     

                     

             

                   

                     

                         

                         

Addressing the Alarms

So, yes, the world has changed. The competition for jobs is real. But

this shouldn’t discourage us. It should challenge us. Remember—for

all the hits we’ve taken these last few years, for all the naysayers pre‐

dicting our decline, America still has the largest, most prosperous

economy in the world. No workers—no workers are more productive

than ours. No country has more successful companies, or grants more

patents to inventors and entrepreneurs. We’re the home to the

world’s best colleges and universities, where more students come to

study than any place on Earth.

—President Barack Obama, State of the Union Address, January 2011

Tough problems need to be tackled in order for the United States to improve its

competitiveness and increase good‐paying jobs. To address these issues, Chapter

2, “Keys to Innovation, Competitiveness, and Jobs” delves into what made the

economy competitive in the past and demonstrates that the Federal government

played a key role in research, education, and infrastructure, three components

that greatly contributed to the economic vitality of the United States in the 20th

century. Put another way, the government (Federal, state, and local) made invest‐

ments into the building blocks of our economic growth, and these investments al‐

lowed the private sector to flourish. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 go into greater detail for

each of these broad areas (research, education, and infrastructure), discussing

the challenges faced in each and proposed policies to keep the United States at

the innovation and competitiveness frontier.

In addition to these key areas, there are other avenues by which the competitive‐

ness of the United States can be increased. For instance, a strong manufacturing

sector is crucial, as this sector conducts the majority of industrial research and

development, and there are strong links between the location of production and

the location of research activity.20 Given the importance of manufacturing and

some of its unique properties, Chapter 6 focuses on manufacturing solely.

Although improving research, education, infrastructure, and the manufacturing

sector are essential to increasing innovation and competitiveness, many other

factors also contribute to economic success. Perhaps chief among them is ensur‐

ing that both established firms and entrepreneurs in the private sector have the

best possible environment in which to innovate. Chapter 7 touches upon some of

1 – 10 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                     

                   

                 

                             

                     

                       

                 

                           

         

the additional areas where the government can assist the private sector, includ‐

ing aid to regional clusters, promoting entrepreneurship, creating an effective in‐

tellectual property regime (domestically and abroad), and reforming corporate

taxes.

This report touches upon some of the key policy areas needed to make the U.S.

economy more innovative and competitive. Drawing upon the other chapters in

this report, the last chapter, “Moving Forward”, highlights 10 areas that deserve

special attention. Implementing these recommendations will better prepare the

United States to meet the economic challenges of the 21st century and provide a

better future for our children.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 1 – 11 
 

               

                         

             

         

   

     

               

       

                       

         

                             

                                         

                                 

                 

                         

                             

                               

                                   

                                       

                                 

                           

                       

   

         

         

                   

         

                                 

           

                               

             

                               

     

                         

                       

                           

     

                                                                                       

             

                           

       

                                                   

Endnotes
 

References
 

1. International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook database, September 2011.

2. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis 2010, Table 678. Note: In chained 2005 dollars.

3. National Center for Health Statistics 2011, 134.

4. Economic Research Service 2011.

5. Nobelprize.org, Nobel Prize Facts www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/nobelprize_facts.html.

6. Thomson Reuters 2011.

7. See, for example, National Academy of Sciences 2007.

8. Charlton Research Company 2011.

9. Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc. and The Winston Group 2006, 2.

10. Manyika et al. 2011, 1.

11. Based on research by Atkinson, Piketty, and Saez 2011 and Piketty and Saez 2003.

12. Much has been written on the subject of the forces behind changesin wages and relative wages over the past

several decades. Reasons offered for the various wage trends include the decline in the fraction of workers cov‐

ered by collective bargaining, increased international competition, technological change, immigration, minimum

wages, among others. See, for example, Sachdev 2007 for tables updated to 2008.

13. U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division, U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services (FT900)

www. census.gov/foreign‐trade.

14. For the complete definition of this sector, see U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division 2011.

15. The manufacturing sector is not the only part of the economy that is exposed to international competition, as

documented by Jensen (2011). The U.S. has run a trade surplus in services, and we export about $500 billion a

year in services (compared with $565 billion in manufactured goods), and increasingly the service sector will be

open to international competition which may create additional opportunities of U.S service exports. Jensen esti‐

mates that roughly a third of the service sector is subject to international competition.

16. The Atlantic Century 2009.

17. National Academy of Sciences 2007.

18. National Academy of Sciences 2010.

19. Fleischman, H.L., Hopstock, P.J., Pelczar, M.P., and Shelley, B.E. 2010.

20. Delgado, Porter, and Stern 2011.

Atkinson, Robert D., and Scott M. Andes. 2009. The Atlantic Century: Benchmarking EU and U.S. Innovation and

Competitiveness. The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation; www.itif.org/publications/atlantic‐

century‐benchmarking‐eu‐and‐us‐innovation‐and‐competitiveness.

Atkinson, Anthony B., Thomas Piketty, and Emmanuel Saez. 2011. Top Incomes in the Long Run of History.” Jour‐

nal of Economic Literature 49, no 1: 3–71. 2011.

Bureau of Labor Statistics. Establishment Data. Table B–1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry sector and

selected industry detail. www.bls.gov/webapps/legacy/cesbtab1.htm

Charlton Research Company for Research!America. Your Congress – Your Health Survey, March 2011. www.your

congressyourhealth.org/where_america.php?qq=509

Delgado, Mercedes, Michael E. Porter, and Scott Stern. 2011., Clusters, Convergence, and Economic Performance.

March; www.isc.hbs.edu/pdf/DPS_Clusters_Performance_2011‐0311.pdf.

Economic Research Service. 2011. Agricultural Productivity in the United States: Overview. Washington, DC: U.S.

Department of Agriculture, May; www.ers.usda.gov/Data/AgProductivity/.

Fleischman, H.L., Hopstock, P.J., Pelczar, M.P., and Shelley, B.E. 2010. Highlights From PISA 2009: Performance of

U.S. 15‐Year‐Old Students in Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy in an International Context (NCES

2011–004). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Gov‐ ernment Printing Office.

International Monetary Fund. 2011. World Economic Outlook Database. September 2011;

www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2011/02/weodata/index.aspx.

Jensen, J. Bradford. 2011. Global Trade in Services: Fear, Facts, and Offshoring. Washington, DC: Peterson Insti‐

tute for International Economics.

Manyika, James, Susan Lund, Byron Auguste, Lenny Mendonca, Tim Welsh and Sreenivas Ramiswamy. 2011. An

Economy that Works: Job Creation and America’s Future. McKinsey Global Institute, 1; www.mckinsey.com/mgi/

publications/us_jobs/pdfs/MGI_us_jobs_full_report.pdf.

1 – 12 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                           

       

                               

               

                             

                                         

                                   

           

               

                                             

                       

           

                         

             

                   

                           

                         

         

National Academy of Sciences. 2010. Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited: Rapidly Approaching Category

5. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

National Academy of Sciences. 2007. Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a
 

Brighter Economic Future. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; www.nap.edu/catalog/11463.html.
 

National Center for Education Statistics, Mathematics Age 15, 2009 OECD PISA Data, International Data Explorer,
 

nces.ed.gov/surveys/international/ide/.
 

National Center for Health Statistics. 2011. “Table 22. Life expectancy at birth, at 65 years of age, and at 75 years

of age, by race and sex, 1900–2007” in Health, United States, 2010: With Special Feature on Death and Dying.

Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office; www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus10.pdf#022.
 

Nobel Prize Facts. Accessed on November 30, 2011; www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/nobelprize_facts.html.
 

Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc. and The Winston Group. 2006. Keeping Our Edge: Americans Speak on
 Education and Competitiveness. 2006. Washington, DC: Hart/Winston; www.ets.org/Media/Education_Topics/

pdf/HW_KeepingOurEdge2006.pdf.
 

Piketty, Thomas, and Emmanuel Saez. 2003. “Income Inequality in the United States, 1913–1998.” Quarterly
 

Journal of Economics 118 (February): 1–41.
 

Sachdev, Nikhil. 2007. “An Examination of the Wage Productivity Gap.” Working Paper. Stanford University.
 

Thomson Reuters. 2011. Top 100 Global Innovators; www.top100innovators.com/home.
 

United States Nobel Prize Winners. Accessed on November 30, 2011; www.jinfo.org/US_Nobel_Prizes.html.
 

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. 2010. Survey of Current Businessess. Accessed 14 November 2011; April.
 

U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division. Accessed November 29, 2011. “Advanced Technology Product Defini‐

tions” in Foreign Trade Statistics; www.census.gov/foreign‐trade/reference/glossary/a/atp.html#general.
 

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 1 – 13 

 

                         

                       

                       

                         

                         

                       

                         

                           

                       

                   

                         

                    

                             

                       

                     

                           

                 

                       

                       

                         

           

     

     

Keys to

Innovation,

Competitiveness,

and Jobs

Innovation is a key driver of competitiveness, job growth, and a higher standard

of living for future generations. To improve the competitiveness of the United

States, it is instructive to examine the factors that previously unleashed the tre‐

mendous innovative potential of the private sector. The list of those factors is

long, and it is not surprising that the recipe for successful innovation and com‐

petitiveness is complex, evolving, and differs by product and industry. To address

the question of what made the United States innovative and competitive in the

past, and also what will make the United States innovative and competitive in the

future, this report primarily focuses on three important factors that formed the

foundation of a strong innovative environment: support for research, education,

and infrastructure.

Jobs 

● New industries

● New businesses

Innovation Competitiveness ● Expansion of existing busi‐

nesses

● Good jobs (high wages)

A common thread between these three elements is that they are areas where

government has made, and should continue to make, significant investments. In

all three of these areas, investment has a social return that exceeds the return to

any one company or person. Basic research often has many applications, beyond

those which motivated the initial research. A more educated workforce means

not just more income for those who attend school longer, but also means greater

productivity in business and a more effective citizenry. Improved infrastructure

provides a benefit for the greater good and facilitates productivity. Because of

these broader benefits, private investment is often too low since private investors

cannot capture the broader social returns. As a result, almost all governments in

developed countries fund investment in these areas.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 2 – 1 
 

     

                             

                     

                 

                       

                     

                       

                   

                   

               

               

           

                       

           

                         

                   

                               

                       

                 

                       

                   

                             

                       

                     

                   

                         

                 

                     

                     

                     

                       

                     

                       

                       

                       

                         

Concepts and Definitions

Before delving into these three areas, it is important to take a step back and de‐

fine several terms. The COMPETES Reauthorization Act directsthe Department of

Commerce to “complete a comprehensive study of the economic competitive‐

ness and innovative capacity of the United States.” It is somewhat ironic, there‐

fore, that the importance of “innovation” and “competitiveness” are matched by

the lack of commonly accepted definitions and empirical measures over time and

across countries. Beginning with “innovation,” a 2008 Advisory Committee report

to the Secretary of Commerce, Innovation Measurement: Tracking the State of

Innovation in the American Economy, defines it as:

“The design, invention, development and/or implementation of new

or altered products, services, processes, systems, organizational struc‐

tures, or business models for the purpose of creating new value for

customers and financial returns for the firm.”1

There are two main approaches to measuring innovation.2 The first is the proxy

method, where rather than measuring innovation directly, patents or spending

on R&D are tracked as a proxy for the level or rate of change of innovation. Al‐

though these proxies can be useful tools for understanding innovation, they are

necessarily imperfect measures. For example, many innovations are not pat‐

ented, and innovative activity occurs even in industries that conduct little formal

R&D. The second approach relies on economic accounting where economic

growth is explained by factorsthat are measurable,such asthe labor force and its

quality. The portion of economic growth that cannot be explained by measurable

factors is referred to as “technological change,” “innovation,” or in economic jar‐

gon, “multifactor productivity” or “total factor productivity.” Using this second

approach, it is estimated that between over one‐third to a half of economic

growth in the United States can be attributed to “innovation.”3

Similar to innovation, “competitiveness” has also proved difficult to define and

measure. A competitive business is one that is successful in the market‐

place—success being measured in various ways such as market share or profit‐

ability. As the McKinsey Global Institute states, competitiveness in a sector can

be defined as the “capacity to sustain growth through either increasing produc‐

tivity or expanding employment.”4 Though there is not a common definition of

competitiveness at the country level, a widely recognized ranking of this comes

from the World Economic Forum (WEF). They define competitiveness as “the set

of institutions, policies, and factors that determine the level of productivity of a

2 – 2 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                     

                         

             

                     

               

                         

                           

                   

                     

                       

                         

                     

                   

                     

                     

                         

                         

                         

                       

                           

   

                   

                       

                 

                 

                 

     

                       

                     

                 

                   

                       

               

country.”5 Thus, the concepts of productivity and competitiveness often go hand

in hand. In this report, the term “competitiveness” is generally used, but often in‐

creasing competitiveness requires increasing productivity, and vice versa.

The competitiveness of a country and the competitiveness of businesses are also

closely‐linked concepts. Competitive businesses need to innovate; otherwise,

they will not be able to grow and remain viable. When countries are competi‐

tive—that is, when they have a “set of institutions, policies and factors” that are

conducive to productivity growth—then businesses are positioned to grow and

be effective competitors against other domestic and foreign firms. According to

the WEF, “(t)his requires an environment that is conducive to innovative activity,

supported by both the public and the private sectors. In particular, it means suffi‐

cient investment in research and development (R&D), especially by the private

sector; the presence of high quality scientific research institutions; extensive col‐

laboration in research between universities and industry; and the protection of

intellectual property.”6 Given the pace of change in today’s global economy, in‐

vestments to promote innovation deserve more emphasis than at any time in the

past.

Ensuring a country is competitive and has sufficient capacity to innovate is also

crucial because the number and quality of jobs is strongly dependent on these

two concepts. As competitive businesses grow, they hire more workers and they

also tend to pay well; a number of studies have shown that highly productive

firms pay above‐average wages.

●	 Innovation leads to new industries. Over the longer‐term, new ideas, prod‐

ucts, or discoveries can lead to new industries. Examples include the wireless

communications industry (290,000 workers in 2007), software and Internet

publishing firms and Internet service providers (500,000 workers), and phar‐

maceutical firms along with companies in biotechnology research and devel‐

opment services (350,000 workers).

●	 Innovation leads to new firms. Between 1980 and 2007, on average over

500,000 new businesses with employees started each year. These new firms

produced an average of 3 million new jobs a year.

●	 Competitive and innovative firms expand. Between 1980 and 2007, existing

businesses that grew added roughly 13.3 million jobs a year, which translates

into an average employment growth rate of 13.9 percent.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY	 2 – 3 
 

                     

                       

                   

                     

                 

                   

                     

                         

           

                 

                   

                         

                       

                         

                       

                     

                     

                       

                       

                   

                     

                       

                     

                   

                         

                 

                   

                           

                       

                         

                         

                   

●	 Competitive and innovative firms create good jobs. Wages for workers in

innovative and competitive firms tend to be higher than wages elsewhere. For

instance, firms that export (that is, firms that successfully compete interna‐

tionally) have been found to pay significant wage premiums.7 Similarly, a

recent report shows that the science, technology, engineering, and mathe‐

matics (STEM) workforce earned about 26 percent more than their counter‐

parts in non‐STEM occupations. STEM workers also were less likely to

experience joblessness, and STEM job growth over the past 10 years wasthree

times faster than growth in non‐STEM jobs.

What Made the United States So Successful in the Past?

Many different factors affect innovation and competitiveness and volumes have

been written on the economic history of the United States and, more generally,

on innovation. However, there is widespread agreement on at least three factors

that contributed greatly to the economic strength of the United States during the

last century, factors where the government played an important role: support for

research, education, and infrastructure. Given the importance of each of these

factors, each receives more in‐depth treatment in subsequent chapters. Below is

a brief description of how important they were in the past century.

Research

Federally funded R&D has resulted in innovations and discoveries, leading to new

companies and entire industries that have made Americans more prosperous,

healthier, and safer. For example, the first fully electronic U.S. digital com‐

puter—the ENIAC—was funded by the U.S. Federal government. For more on the

Federal role in the evolution of the computer (see box 2.1).

Federal investments in life sciences have decreased mortality and morbidity

rates, driving innovations that are at the cutting edge of fighting heart disease, di‐

abetes, cancer, and HIV/AIDS. For example, “the biopharmaceutical industry

draws upon (and complements) an exceptionally large publicly funded basic re‐

search effort in the life sciences.”8 The investments in health and medicine at the

National Institutes of Health (NIH) continue to contribute heavily to advances in

the field, and the work of NIH scientists has produced multiple Nobel Prize win‐

ners.

Cumulative gains in life expectancy after 1900 were worth over $1.2 million to

the representative American in 2000, whereas post‐1970 gains added about $3.2

2 – 4	 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                   

                     

                           

                         

     

                   

                           

               

                         

                   

                     

           

                     

               

                     

                         

                             

         

                 

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                         

                         

         

                         

                                                     

   

                   

     

                           

                         

                     

                   

                       

Box 2.1 The ENIAC and the IBM 650: 

Federally Funded Research and the Birth of an Industry 

The ENIAC or Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer was developed to

solve the very specific problem of calculating information related to the proper

firing of artillery. The ENIAC was developed in the early 1940s by J. Presper Eck‐

ert and John W. Mauchly at the University of Pennsylvania, and was funded by

the U.S. Army.1

From 1945 to 1955 collaborations between the U.S. military, universities, and

the private sector led to at least 19 projects related to the development of com‐

puters. This collaborative environment helped drive the explosion in innova‐

tion, but the bulk of the funding for this research came from the Federal

government, with Federal funds accounting for 59 percent of computer related

R&D spending by General Electric, IBM, Sperry Rand, AT&T, Raytheon, RCA, and

Computer Control Corporation from 1949 to 1959.2

Though the funding for these computers primarily came from the Federal gov‐

ernment, companies were able to quickly translate the technological advances

into commercial applications. For example, IBM was able to combine the bene‐

fits of this Federal R&D with its prowess as an existing office equipment pro‐

ducer to create the IBM 650, that sold 1,800 units in the 1950’s making it the

most commercially successful computer of that period.

These early Federal investments were undertaken without the commercial ap‐

plications in mind, yet they provided the foundation for the evolution of the

computer industry. Seventy years later, the United States. is still reaping the re‐

wards of these early investments. Today, the lives of nearly every American are

impacted in some way by the benefits of advances in computer technology. The

basic research investments that led to the creation of the early computer are

exactly the type of investments that the United States needs to be making to‐

day so that future generations will still be reaping the rewards of today’s invest‐

ments for decades into the future.

1. David C. Mowery. 2011. “Federal Policy and the Development of Semiconductors, Computer Hard‐

ware, and Computer Software: A Policy Model for Climate Change R&D?” Accelerating Energy Innova‐ tion Insights from Multiple Sectors. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, for the National Bureau of

Economic Research; 159–188.

2. Kenneth Flamm. 1987. Targeting the Computer: Government Support and International Competition.

Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.

trillion per year to national wealth, equal to about half of GDP. Potential gains

from future health improvements are also large; for example, it is estimated that

a 1 percent reduction in cancer mortality would be worth $500 billion.9

Federal investments in materials and military technology underpin the modern

military as well as profitable innovations in the private sector. Advancements in

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 2 – 5 
 

                         

                     

               

                               

                     

   

                         

                     

                 

                   

                           

                       

             

                             

                       

                         

                             

                               

                   

                     

                               

                   

                         

                       

                         

                       

                     

                   

                     

                         

                   

       

                       

                   

chemicals, such as the spike in the production of synthetic rubber during World

War II under the Synthetic Rubber Research Program, have spurred innovations

in manufacturing that have directly supported national security. Federal invest‐

ments in atomic physics in the 1930s and 1950s gave rise to the creation of GPS

systems, forever changing the deployment of the military, not to mention our

daily travels.10

The companies that can trace their roots to federally funded research span a

wide variety of industries. In their report Sparking Innovation: How federally

funded university research creates innovation, new companies and jobs, the Sci‐

ence Coalition identifies over 100 companies that Federally funded research

helped launch. To provide a flavor of the wide array of companies included in

Sparking Innovation, Table 2.1 lists a handful of examples that vary greatly by

size, location, industry, and Federal funding source.

Education

At the beginning of the 20th century, America led the world in education, and over

the following decades the average level of schooling in the United States in‐

creased significantly. Americans born in the 1870s had, on average, less than 8

years of formal education. For the cohort born in 1910, this average had risen to

nearly 10 years. For the cohort born in 1940, this average had risen past 12.11 For

cohorts born between 1876 and 1951, average educational attainment grew

steadily by nearly 1 year per decade12 (see figure 2.1, page 2–8).

By the 1950s, the United States enrolled close to 80 percent of its youth in full

time secondary schools.13 The comparison with industrial Western Europe was

stark. Among 18 European nations in the 1950s including France, Italy, and Great

Britain, each enrolled less than 30 percent of youth in general education second‐

ary schools; all but one (Sweden) were under 20 percent. When youth in techni‐

cal schools is added, secondary enrollment in Europe did not surpass 40

percent.14 This gap extended into higher education. In the 1950s, American en‐

rollment in higher education was expanding rapidly and America’s university at‐

tainment rates were far higher than any European country. Many factors

contributed to the increased college attainment rates, including the GI Bill and an

extensive public university system, especially land‐grant schools that had a foot‐

print in every state.

Additionally, the college and university system in the United States contains a

disproportionate share of the world’s most prestigious universities. For example,

2 – 6 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

 

                       

       

Table 2.1 

Companies 

Company Location Year 

Started 

Employment Innovation Federal 

Funding 

Arbor Networks	 Chelmsford, 2000 125 Network security DOD, Created as a Result MA	 technologies NSF 

of Discoveries in	 Audyssey Los Angeles, 2002 75 Technology fixes impact of NSF 

Laboratories CA room acoustics on sound Federally Funded reproduction 

University Buffalo BioBlower Buffalo, NY 2005 8 Air sterilization technology DOD 

Laboratories 9 Technologies LLC for healthcare, homeland 

security, battlefields 

Cognex Natick, MA 1981 729 Industrial machine vision NSF 

Corporation technology 

CREE, Inc. Durham, NC 1987 3,168	 Semiconductor technology DOD 

increases efficiency of LED, 

power, and communications 

products 

Fingerlakes Groton, NY 1996 11 Aquafilter for economical, USDA 

Aquaculture, Inc. large-scale production of 

farm-raised fish 

Google	 Mountain 1998 19,835 Internet search technology NSF 

View, CA and Web-based applications 

Image Sensing St. Paul, MN 1984 80 Software for monitoring DOT 

Systems, Inc. traffic conditions 

ImagiSonix Sterling, MA 2006 3	 Wireless ultrasound for DOD 

rural, emergency, military,

and disaster settings 

iRobot Corporation Bedford, MA 1990 538	 Robots for military, DOD, 

industrial, and consumer NASA 

use 

Molecular Austin, TX 2001 125 “Step and Flash” nano- DOD 

Imprints, Inc. lithography makes smaller,

faster computer chips 

SenSound, LLC Detroit, MI 2003 8	 Technology pinpoints exact NSF 

source of noise for use in 

product design, develop- ment, and manufacturing 

TomoTherapy, Madison, WI 1997 665 Machine targets radiation to NIH 

Incorporated cancer cells and limits 

damage to healthy ones 

Universal Display Ewing, NJ 1994 80 Organic LED technology for DOD, 

Corporation flat panel displays, lasers, DOE 

and other light generating 

devices 

Webscalers Binghamton, 2002 7 Metasearch engines probe NSF 

NY deeper into the Web than

traditional search engines 

Xenogen Hopkinton, 1994 489 In vivo imaging allows DOD, 

(acquired by MA scientists to evaluate drugs NIH 

Caliper Life by observing their effects in

Sciences) living animals 

Source: The Science Coalition, Sparking Innovation: How federally funded university research creates innova‐

tion, new companies and jobs.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY	 2 – 7 
 

 

 

                             

                             

                                   

                   

                 

                       

                     

                   

                     

                       

                       

Figure 2.1 15

Years of Schooling 14
 

at Age 30, by Birth 

Cohorts, 13
 

1870–1979 

12
 

11
 

10
 

9
 

8
 

7
 

Source: Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA) calculations based on the Integrated 

Public Use Microdata Series, Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota 

(see http://usa.ipums.org/usa/). 

Note: Data for this figure were based on ESA calculations of mean years of education for 

U.S.-born individuals by birth year for those who were 30 years or older. Because the 

education variable was coded by category of educational attainment, such as grade levels 

and higher education levels, it was necessary to transform the data into a continuous variable 

to calculate a mean. The methodology used to recode the education variable into an estimated 

number of years of education was based partly on work by Goldin and Katz (2008).” 

according to one set of rankings, in 2011–2012, 18 out of the top 25 universities

and 30 out of the top 50 universities were in the United States; the United King‐

dom was next with four in the top 25 and seven in the top 50.15 In addition, the

United States is the top destination for students studying abroad.16

Infrastructure

Throughout the last century, infrastructure investments, supported by the public

sector, have been critical to the increased standard of living and economic

growth experienced in the United States. For example, water treatment and dis‐

tribution systems saved lives and facilitated commerce. Early water treatment

systems were mostly targeted to protect the public from waterborne diseases,

such as typhoid, dysentery, and cholera,17 but later public water utilities also pro‐

vided a consistent and dedicated water supply that was important for industrial

1870 80 90 1900 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
 

2 – 8 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                         

               

                               

         

               

                           

                   

                       

                   

                 

                           

                         

                     

                         

                   

             

                   

Figure 2.2 

The Innovation 

Ecosystem 

production and the generation of power, while it also protected the public from

environmental contaminants.18 The interstate highway system, highlighted in box

1.1, was the largest public works project of its time and did more than any other

program to connect our country.

Interconnections

Research and development, education, and infrastructure are discussed sepa‐

rately in the chapters that follow, but they are not separate and unique entities.

As some commentators have noted, the elements of competitiveness and inno‐

vation are less like silos and more like a network or ecosystem.

Changes in one part of the network—say education—ripple through the system

satisfying demands for researchers, creating demands for infrastructure, and

feeding back into the schools via the creation of demand for new and different

skills. U.S. industries, like those discussed in the manufacturing chapter, sit in a

critical juncture in this network—creating demand for labor with specific skills

and participating integrally in research and in the creation and build out of new

infrastructure (see figure 2.2). Thus, although this report addresses innovation

and competitiveness topics sequentially in separate chapters, their interconnect‐

edness is a sub‐text that the reader should keep in mind.

Chapter 3 

Federal Support for 

Research and 

Development 

Chapter 6 

Revitalizing 

Manufacturing 

Chapter 5 

Infrastructure for 

the 21st century 

Chapter 4 

Educating our 

Future Workforce 

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 2 – 9 
 

                           

                                 

                   

                                   

                                 

                                   

                             

             

                               

                                 

               

           

                                   

                       

                             

                         

                             

                                       

                             

         

             

         

                 

             

         

         

             

         

       

         

     

                               

                                 

                                 

       

                         

                       

   

                           

   

                                 

                           

                             

       

                               

               

                           

                       

               

                                           

                             

     

Endnotes
 

References
 

1. The Advisory Committee on Measuring Innovation in the 21st Century Economy 2008, i.

2. Historically, these two measures have been used as proxies for innovation, but recently efforts have been

made to measure innovation more directly through innovation surveys. See www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/

nsf09304/. It should also be mentioned that there are some objections to these proxies. For example, the OECD,

in its guidelines on collecting and interpreting innovation data (often referred to as the “Oslo Manual”) states

that patents are not good proxies for innovation because they are inputs to innovation rather than outputs and

because patents can lack any economic value. However, even the OECD recognizes that a deeper understanding

of innovation necessarily requires learning more about patents.

3. For an explanation of productivity change see Jorgenson and Griliches 1967, 249–283. For discussion of intan‐

gible capital and economic growth see Corrado, Hulten and Sichel 2009. See also Bureau of Labor Statistics mul‐

tifactor productivity news releases 2011a, 2011b, and 2011c.

4. Manyika et al. 2010, 10.

5. World Economic Forum 2011–2012, 4. (WEF) quantifies a wide variety of factors under its “12 Pillars of Com‐

petitiveness.” Those pillars are: (1) Institutions; (2) Infrastructure; (3) Macroeconomic environment; (4) Health

and primary education; (5) Higher education and training; (6) Goods market efficiency; (7) Labor market effi‐

ciency; (8) Financial market development; (9) Technological readiness; (10) Market size; (11) Business sophistica‐

tion; and (12) Innovation. According to the WEF Global Competitiveness Report 2011–2012, the United States

ranked fourth overall in 2010 and then fifth in 2011. However, the factors that went into the WEF ranking, how

those factors are computed, and then how the factors are added together all require subjective judgments.

6. World Economic Forum 2011–2012, 8.

7. Bernard, Jensen, and Schott 2009, 514.

8. Cockburn, Stern, and Zausner 2011, 115.

9. Murphy and Topel 2006.

10. Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy 1999, 31.

11. Figure 1.4, Goldin and Katz 2008, 20.

12. Goldin and Katz 2008, 19.

13. Goldin and Katz 2008, 26.

14. Figure 1.7, Goldin and Katz 2008, 24.

15. Times Higher Education 2011–2012.

16. OECD Indicators 2011, 321.

17. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2000.

18. Finn 2002.

Bernard, Andrew B., J. Bradford Jensen, and Peter K. Schott. 2009. “Importers, Exporters and Multinationals: A

Portrait of Firms the U.S. that Trade Goods.” Producer Dynamics: New Evidence from Micro Data, edited by Timo‐

thy Dunne, J. Bradford Jensen, and Mark J. Roberts, 513–552. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, for the

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2011a. “Multifactor Productivity Trends—2009.” News Release, March 30; www.bls.

gov/news.release/archives/prod3_03302011.pdf.

Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2011b. “Multifactor Productivity Trends in Manufacturing—2009.” News Release,

August 11; www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/prod5.pdf.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011c. “Multifactor Productivity Trends for Detailed Industries, 2009.” News Release,

September 23; www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/prin3.pdf.

Cockburn, Iain M., Scott Stern, and Jack Zausner. 2011. “Finding the Endless Frontier: Lessons from the Life Sci‐

ences Innovation System for Energy R&D.” Accelerating Energy Innovation: Insights from Multiple Sectors, edited

by Rebecca M. Henderson and Richard G. Newell, 113–157. Chicago: University of Chicago, for the National Bu‐

reau of Economic Research.

Corrado, Carol A., Charles R. Hulten, and Daniel E. Sichel. 2009. “Intangible Capital and U.S. Economic Growth.”

The Review of Income and Wealth, 55–3; 661–685.

Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engi‐

neering, Institute of Medicine. 1999. Evaluating Federal Research Programs: Research and the Government Per‐

formance and Results Act. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; www.nap.edu/catalog/6416.html.

Finn, Bernard S. 2002. “Origin of Electrical Power” in Powering the Past: A Look Back. National Museum of Amer‐ ican History, Washington DC; americanhistory.si.edu/powering/past/prehist.htm.

Goldin, Claudia, and Lawrence F. Katz. 2008. The Race between Education and Technology. Cambridge, MA: Har‐

vard University Press.

2 – 10 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                             

               

                             

                     

                                   

                                 

   

                       

   

                                                     

                       

                     

Jorgenson, D.W. and Zvi Griliches. 1967. “The Explanation of Productivity Change.” The Review of Economic Stud‐

ies. Stockholm, Sweden: Institute for International Economic Studies: 34–3; 249–283.

Manyika, James, Lenny Mendonca, Jaana Remes, Stefan Klubmann, Jorg Schubert, Vitaly Klintsov. 2010. How to

Compete and Grow: A Sector Guide to Policy. McKinsey Global Institute; www.mckinsey.com/Insights/MGI/Re‐

search/Productivity_Competitiveness_and_Growth/How_to_compete_and_grow.

Murphy, Kevin M and Robert H. Topel. 2006. “The Value of Health and Longevity.” Journal of Political Economy,

114–5; 871–904.

OECD Indicators. 2011. Education at a Glance 2011. “Indicator C3: Who studies abroad and where?” Accessed 2

December 2010; www.oecd.org/dataoecd/61/2/48631582.pdf.

Times Higher Education. 2011. “World University Rankings 2011–2012.” Thomson Reuters. Accessed 28 Decem‐

ber 2011; www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world‐university‐rankings/.

The Advisory Committee on Measuring Innovation in the 21st Century Economy. 2008. Innovation Measurement:

Tracking the State of Innovation in the American Economy. U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington DC.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2000. “The History of Drinking Water Treatment.” Fact Sheet;

www.epa.gov/safewater/consumer/pdf/hist.pdf.

World Economic Forum. 2011. The Global Competitiveness Report 2011–2012; Geneva, Switzerland.

reports.weforum.org/global‐competitiveness.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 2 – 11 

 

                         

               

                     

               

         

                           

                       

                         

                         

                         

                     

                       

                     

                   

                 

                                 

                       

                     

                       

                     

                       

                               

                   

                         

         

               

     

                         

                       

                 

                     

                       

       

Federal

Support for

Research and

Development

“The key to our success—as it has always been—will be to compete by

developing new products, by generating new industries, by maintain‐

ing our role as the world’s engine of scientific discovery and techno‐

logical innovation. It’s absolutely essential to our future.”

— President Barack Obama, November 17, 2010

Although it has helped spawn many inventions that, in turn, have led to new

firms, new industries, and new jobs, Federal funding of research cannot drive in‐

novation by itself. A healthy private sector must act in partnership with university

and research labs to fund the transfer of new technologies to the market, creat‐

ing new businesses built on innovation. It is also crucial for institutions to encour‐

age research, such as through a strong education system and up‐to‐date

infrastructure. A strong education system ensures there is a workforce with the

necessary skills to turn research into practical, market‐driven concepts, to make

products from those concepts that satisfy consumer preferences and that en‐

hance competition, and to use these products effectively. Infrastructure is neces‐

sary to make sure that there is a free flow of ideas, as well as goods and services.1

However, the innovative performance of the United States has slipped during the

past decade compared to other countries. Looking at a number of measurements

of innovation drivers, such as growth in corporate and government research and

development (R&D) and the number of scientific and technical degrees and

workers, the United States has fallen relative to other countries.2 Therefore, after

describing in more detail the role of R&D in driving innovation and the role of the

Federal government in R&D, this chapter concludes with recommendations to

help ensure that our country continues to have the innovative capacity it needs

to thrive in the 21st century.

The Economic Justification for the Federal Government’s Role

in Funding Basic Research

Much of the economic growth of recent decades has been driven by innovation.3

The central role of innovation in economic growth was established through the

pioneering work by Abramowitz (1956) and Solow (1957).4 Increasingly sophisti‐

cated models of economic growth in advanced economies have emphasized the

crucial role innovation plays.5 In addition, studies have shown that better training

and funding fosters innovation.6

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 3 – 1 
 

                             

                     

                           

                               

                       

                     

                 

                         

                             

                         

                       

                           

                       

                             

                             

                     

                     

Figure 3.1 

The Research 

Landscape in the 

United States 

Innovation, in turn, is driven in large part by the R&D process, which consists of

basic research, applied research and development (for definitions of these items,

see Appendix 1). All three of these stages need to thrive in order for innovation to

lead to new firms and new jobs. In 2008, about 60 percent of total public and pri‐

vate R&D spending went to development, with the remaining split about evenly

between basic and applied research (see figure 3.1). These proportions have

stayed relatively constant over roughly the last 30 years.

Development 

17% 

Applied 

22% 

60% 

National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics. 2010. National Patterns of

R&D Resources: 2008 Data Update. NSF 10–314. Arlington, Va. Available at www.nsf.gov/statistics/

nsf10314/.

Basic 

Basic economic principles, discussed in more detail in Appendix 2 of this chapter,

establish the need for a Federal role in funding R&D, especially in the area of ba‐

sic research. The knowledge generated by basic research and, to a lesser degree,

the application of that knowledge, often shares the characteristics of what is

known as a “public good.” A public good has two main characteristics: 1) one per‐

son’s consumption of that good does not reduce the amount available for others

to consume and 2) it is difficult to exclude others from consuming the good. A

lighthouse is often considered a classic example of a public good. Once it is built

3 – 2 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                       

                         

                         

                             

                     

                           

                       

                             

                         

                         

                           

                     

                         

                         

                       

                     

             

                         

                   

                   

                           

                         

                         

               

     

Table 3.1 

and operating, everybody sailing in the area will benefit from the lighthouse’s

operation. It is not possible to sell lighthouse services only to those boat opera‐

tors that pay for them; their services are available to all who pass.

What this means, particularly for basic research, is that it may not be possible for

those conducting the research to fully appropriate the benefits from research

and innovation. In such cases, the social benefits (those that accrue to society as

a whole) from these innovative activities likely exceed the private benefits (those

that accrue just to the entity conducting the research). A series of studies show a

stark divergence between private and social returns to R&D (see table 3.1). The

social return measured in these studies includes the private rate of return plus

the change in profit due to R&D spillovers either within an industry or between

industries. Because individual researchers cannot recoup the full value of their

work, the incentive to produce a socially optimal amount of innovative activity is

lacking. This creates a potential role for government to fund innovative activity to

raise this activity closer to the social optimum. To accomplish this, the govern‐

ment could directly fund basic research through support of government labs

or grants to universities or private research laboratories. Additionally, govern‐

ment policy could increase the returns earned by the private sector on basic re‐

search—through policies such as tax credits and a well‐functioning patent

system—and encourage the private sector to do more basic research.

Given the public good nature of basic research, it is not surprising that the Fed‐

eral government plays a stronger role in basic research than in applied research

or in the development process. As discussed in more detail below, innovation in

Researcher Private Social 

Annual Rates of Mansfield (1997) 25 56 

Return on Private Sveikauskas (1981) 7–25 50 

R&D Investment Scherer (1982, 1984) 29–43 64–147 

Bernstein-Nadiri (1991) 15–28 20–110 

Source: Center for Strategic and International Studies. Global Innovation/National Competitiveness.

Washington, D.C: CSIS, 1996.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 3 – 3 
 

                           

                     

                     

                               

                         

                           

                             

                         

                       

                     

                     

                       

                     

         

                     

                           

Figure 3.2 

Sources and 

Location of Basic 

Research, 2008 

the United States has thrived as a result of a research “ecosystem” comprised of

three main sectors: the Federal government, the college and university system

and the private sector. However, the Federal government, universities, and the

private sector all play a different role in terms of the type of research they fund

and the type of research they conduct. For example, the Federal government has

been the primary funder of basic research, but only conducts a small fraction of

all the basic research done in the United States (see figure 3.2). On the other

hand, universities conduct about half of the basic research in the United States,

but fund a relatively small amount of this research. The private sector, mean‐

while, especially the manufacturing sector, funds and conducts most of the ap‐

plied research and development activity. The total dollars spent by private

industry for R&D has been increasing over time and the Federal government

must ensure that the university and private sectors have the appropriate incen‐

tives to invest in R&D.7

The benefits from Federal support of academic research go beyond the develop‐

ment of new and interesting concepts. Thisis because, when it comesto research

Sources of Funding Amount of Basic Research 

for Basic Research Conducted by Location 

Other 

14% 

Universities 

& Colleges 

11% Federal 

Govt. 

57% 

Industry 

18% 

Other 

14% 

Universities 

& Colleges 

58% 

Federal 

Govt. 

7% 

Industry 

21% 

Source: National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics. 2010. National 

Patterns of R&D Resources: 2008 Data Update. NSF 10-314. Arlington, VA. Available at 

www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf10314/ 

3 – 4 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                   

                       

                         

                   

                   

                     

             

                     

                       

             

                       

                           

                 

             

   

   

Figure 3.3 

The Research 

“Ecosystem” 

and innovation, the Federal government, colleges and universities, and the pri‐

vate sector all are interconnected (see figure 3.3). Federal support of research

has positive spillover effects into the other two sectors, and there are also posi‐

tive spillovers between universities and the private sector. Universities have suc‐

cessfully partnered with the private sector to commercialize technology, with

many new companies and jobs resulting from these relationships. An important

part of advanced undergraduate‐ and graduate‐level students’ education is assist‐

ing faculty in federally sponsored research. Such experience prepares students to

become part of the nation’s science and engineering workforce and to help pri‐

vate firms develop and roll out new technologies.

Federal 

Government 

Trained workers

Research to commercialize

Private Colleges and 

Sector Universities 

Funding for research

Royalties

A strong research university can also serve as an anchor for the develop‐

ment of a regional innovation cluster (RIC). One way to think about such clusters

is that “(r)egional innovation (or industry) clusters are geographic concentra‐

tions of interconnected businesses, suppliers, service providers, coordinating

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intermediaries, and associated institutions like universities or community col‐

leges in a particular field (e.g., information technology in Seattle, aircraft in Wich‐

ita, and advanced materials in Northeast Ohio).”8 New businesses are also

generated by RICs; the more than 150 clusters that exist around the country have

resulted in increased spin‐offs, creating new commercial activity.9 For example,

the CleanTECH San Diego cluster initiative launched in 2007 focuses on energy ef‐

ficiency, renewable energy, transportation and water management. Thisinitiative

has generated tremendous startup activity and San Diego now boasts more than

650 clean tech companies, supported by six world class universities and a net‐

work of investors. Evidence shows that areas with strong clusters perform better

economically than areas without these clusters; they have higher job growth,

higher wage growth, more businesses, and a higher rate of patenting10 (see Chap‐

ter 7 for more detail on RICs).

The synergies are particularly strong in the manufacturing sector, a sector that

has been an important driver of innovation. For example, by training workers and

supporting R&D in a number of areas, the manufacturing sector provides a cata‐

lyst for product and process innovations for the broader economy. A nation’s abil‐

ity to manufacture products is interconnected with its intellectual and innovative

capacity. Many innovative methods and ideas are generated and perfected

through the process of making things. Also, the manufacturing sector has tended

to play a significant role in the communities where firms are located, as manufac‐

turing plants tend to be large and concentrated, and drive clusters of economic

strength within a geographic region. Thus, manufacturing also has proven to be a

catalyst for regional clusters, bringing an area benefits such as higher wages.

The Federal government plays a role in facilitating the transfer of research into

the marketplace. Recently the President directed Federal agencies to establish

measures to monitor the number and the pace of effective technology transfer

from Federal labs to nonfederal entities.11Agencies are required to develop com‐

mercialization plans for their labs that will be monitored by OMB in consultation

with OSTP and Commerce. In addition, Commerce will maintain tech transfer

metrics to help identify new or creative approaches to accelerate the technology

transfer from Federal laboratories to industry.

New initiatives also include efforts to streamline licensing procedures, thereby

expanding access to federally‐owned inventions, and to use best practices to im‐

prove programs directed toward small businesses, such as the Small Business

3 – 6 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                   

                     

                       

                       

                     

         

                     

                   

                   

                     

                   

                     

                   

         

                       

                     

                     

                     

                   

                 

   

   

           

                       

                   

                         

                     

                       

                       

                   

                 

                       

                       

Technology Transfer program. Agencies are also encouraged to launch new pro‐

grams to support regional innovation clusters by, for example, having their Fed‐

eral labs share expertise with businesses and by encouraging the location of

incubators and research parks near Federal labs. Federal labs and other research

facilities will also be encouraged to engage in public‐private partnershipsthat will

strengthen commercialization activities in local regions.

The Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Department of Commerce,

in conjunction with its National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepre‐

neurship (NACIE) is working to improve commercialization through its i6 Chal‐

lenge Grants, a competition that funds the best ideas for technology

commercialization. In 2011, the i6 Green Challenge followed suit, promoting

“Proof of Concept” centers, which support all stages of entrepreneurship, from

assisting with feasibility studies and business plan development, to providing ac‐

cess to early‐stage capital and mentorship.

The Administration will continue to focus on using prizes to encourage new ways

to speed commercialization. Additional initiatives in this area include a joint ef‐

fort by the Administration, the Association of American Universities, and the As‐

sociation of Public and Land‐grant Universities to encourage university leaders to

work more closely with industry, investors, and agencies to increase entrepre‐

neurship, encourage more collaboration between universities and industry, and

increase economic development.

The Federal Government:
 

A Key Force Driving Major Innovations
 

The benefits from Federal R&D support are not just theoretical; whether through

funding educational and business organizations or through research in Federal

labs, the Federal government has played a crucial role in the development of

many key innovations of the mid‐ to late‐20th century. For example, Federal fund‐

ing, coupled with private industry funding, was critical for the development of

the transistor by Bell Labs in the 1950s, the growth of the semiconductor indus‐

try, and the birth of Silicon Valley in the 1980s.

The Federal government has also used public‐private partnerships to advance

markets for key technologies such as the integrated circuit memory chip. For

example, the SEMATECH consortium was a partnership created in the late 1980s

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 3 – 7 
 

                   

           

                   

                     

                             

                   

                       

                           

         

                         

                         

                     

                           

               

                         

                   

                           

                         

                     

                   

                   

                             

                       

                       

                         

                       

                           

                               

                         

       

between the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and 14 U.S.‐

based semiconductor manufacturers, including Intel, IBM, Hewlett‐Packard, and

Texas Instruments. The Federal government matched the spending put into the

venture by SEMATECH member firms and the venture advanced the research

needed for the next generation of chips and also funded a test facility to develop

prototypes using these new innovations. Most of SEMATECH’s members believed

they benefited from this arrangement. One member, Intel, invested $17 million in

the venture and then reported saving $200 to $300 million as a result of im‐

proved yields and greater production efficiencies.12

One of the leading examples of how Federal government research support led to

significant quality of life improvementsin the United Statesisthe development of

the Internet. The innovation came about largely because of long‐term funding

from DARPA in the early 1960s, and then later funding by the National Science

Foundation (NSF).13 This technology’s development relied on basic scientific re‐

search that provided evidence it could be used in activities such as packet switch‐

ing and networking infrastructure. The financial return from these investments

would have been difficult for any single company to capture, and the return could

only be seen after many years, making this an ideal candidate for government in‐

volvement. Other technologies and businesses related to the Internet also have

developed as the result of Federal support, including Google (see box 3.1).

Advances in medical science provide particularly important benefits, given their

direct impact on the expected length and quality of life. It has been argued that

advances in medical science have probably raised human welfare as much in re‐

cent decades as have innovations in all other areas put together.14 The National

Institutes of Health (NIH), in particular, has been the source of many significant

advances in medical science, advances that have improved the well‐being of the

U.S. population, as well as populations around the world (see box 3.2 for a small

sample of the many advances made at NIH over the years and see box 3.3 for a

discussion of how Federal support for research led to the creation and expansion

of the biotechnology industry.)

3 – 8 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                           

                   

                     

                   

                       

                 

                       

                       

                       

                   

                       

       

                     

                       

                     

                     

                     

                         

                         

   

                     

                         

                       

                             

                       

                       

                 

                     

                 

           

                                 

                   

Box 3.1 How the NSF Seeded Google1 

In the early stages of developing the Internet, when there were only a few hun‐

dred active Web sites, the National Science Foundation (NSF) recognized the

need for accessible interfaces for growing online data collections. This led a

multi‐agency Digital Library Initiative (DLI) that made its first six research

awards in 1994. One of those NSF awards supported a Stanford University proj‐

ect led by Professors Hector Garcia‐Molina and Terry Winograd.

One of the Stanford graduate students supported by this DLI project was Larry

Page. Page was interested in the structure of citations in scientific papers and

the way that the citation structure mapped out the knowledge networks in a

large and expanding body of scientific literature. He believed the structure

mapped out by the linkages across Web sites could facilitate the process of

searching for the right site.

Page was joined in this project by another Stanford graduate student, Sergey

Brin. Brin’s studies at Stanford were supported by an NSF Graduate Student Fel‐

lowship. Together, Page and Brin constructed a prototype in their Stanford stu‐

dent offices. The equipment for the prototype, called Backrub, was funded by

the DLI project and other industrial contributions. This prototype not only cre‐

ated a text index of linkages across Web pages—it also utilized the structure of

linkages across pages to create a web or “tree” of cross‐linkages that could fa‐

cilitate search.

To weight these linkages according to their importance, Page and Brin devel‐

oped the PageRank method, in which the ranking of a particular Web page de‐

pends on the degree to which it is referenced by other frequently referenced

Web sites. Page and Brin wrote an early paper on their ideas and tested their al‐

gorithm on data from several million Web pages. The results were highly en‐

couraging.

By 1998, Page and Brin obtained funding that allowed them to move their

growing operation from Stanford into an off‐campus site. They incorporated

Google, Inc. What began as an NSF‐funded research project, undertaken by two

NSF‐supported graduate students, turned into a phenomenon that billions of

people around the world use every day.

1. This account draws heavily from an online summary of On the Origins of Google, by David Hart,

posted August 17, 2004, on the NSF Web site at www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_

id=100660.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 3 – 9
 
 

                     

                         

                     

                   

                   

               

                       

                         

                 

                     

                   

   

                       

     

                   

                       

             

                   

                       

                           

                     

             

                       

                   

                     

                     

                           

                   

                         

                 

                 

Most Federal R&D funding still goes to defense‐related activities, while almost

half of the Federal non‐defense R&D budget goes to NIH (see figure 3.4), with Na‐

tional Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) a distantsecond followed by

Box 3.2 The Case for Federal R&D Funding: 

National Institutes of Health (NIH) 

Throughout its long history, NIH has been responsible for numerous research

breakthroughs that have contributed greatly to the well‐being of the United

States and world population. To name just a few:1

1968: A Nobel Prize was awarded to Dr. Marshall W. Nirenberg for discovering

the key to deciphering the genetic code. He was the first NIH Nobel laureate,

and the first Federal employee to receive a Nobel Prize.

1984: In May, scientists uncovered strong evidence that variants of a human

cancer virus called HTLV–III are the primary cause of acquired immunodefi‐

ciency syndrome (AIDS).

1991: On January 29, NIH scientists treated the first cancer patients with hu‐

man gene therapy.

1996: The first multicenter trial of bone marrow transplantation in children

with sickle cell disease demonstrated that the procedure can provide a cure for

young patients that have a matched sibling.

2000: A National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases study showed that

a nasal spray flu vaccine not only protected young children against the three

strains of influenza for which the vaccine was designed but also a flu strain not

covered by the vaccine. It also protected the children against flu‐related mid‐

dle‐ear infections.

2000: The international Human Genome Project public consortium—funded by

NIH, DOE, and others—assembled a working draft of the sequence of the hu‐

man genome; it was immediately and freely released to the world.

2005: A long‐term, multi‐center trial of therapies for high blood pressure found

that diuretics work better than newer therapies in treating high blood pressure

and reducing the risk of heart disease and should be the first therapy for most

patients.

2006: NCI‐funded research spanning nearly 2 decades helped lead to the FDA

approval for a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, a disease that claims the lives

of nearly 4,000 women each year in the United States.

1. The full list of accomplishments can be found at www.nih.gov/about/almanac/historical/chronology

_of_events.htm.

3 – 10 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                       

                     

                           

                           

                     

                   

                 

                           

                   

                     

                 

                   

                 

                   

                     

                       

                         

                   

                   

                       

             

                   

                       

                     

                     

                   

                     

         

                   

       

“All Other” Federal agencies, the Department of Energy, and NSF. Also, Federal

spending on basic and applied research has shifted dramatically towards life sci‐

ences research, primarily at NIH, over the past two decades. Within just a few

years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, NIH spending doubled, while over the

same period Federal research expenditures outside of the life sciences grew

much less significantly (see figure 3.5). This allocation of research funds contrib‐

uted to the significant advances achieved through federally supported health‐

care‐related research.

Box 3.3 The Federal Government and Basic Research:

 Biotechnology 

The creation and success of the biotech industry in the U.S. is due, in great

measure, to the Federal government’s support of basic research through its

funding of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science

Foundation (NSF). 1 From this funding emerged our understanding of the funda‐

mental structure of the human genome and the tools of recombinant DNA

technology, without which the biotechnology industry, and the life‐saving med‐

icines it is yielding, would not exist as we know it.

The tools of recombinant DNA technology were pioneered by Herbert Boyer, a

professor at UC San Francisco, and Stanley Cohen at Stanford University. One of

the early pioneers and leaders in this field, Boyer went on to co‐found Genen‐

tech, together with venture capitalist Bob Swenson. NIH and NSF research

funding were therefore instrumental in Genentech’s creation. To date, the com‐

pany employs more than 11,000 people and produces a variety of drugs for

asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and other serious medical ailments.

Protea Biosciences, a company founded in 2001, specializes in the identification

of new proteins in the human body. This is important because most pharma‐

ceuticals are small proteins themselves or are small molecules designed to in‐

teract with proteins. Today’s drugs target fewer than 500 of the estimated

23,000 human protein‐coding genes. The technology used to found Protea Bio‐

sciences was developed at West Virginia University with support of the WVU

Research Corporation and through NIH funding.

1. Science Coalition, Sparking Economic Growth: How Federally Funded Research Creates Innovation,

New Companies and Jobs April 2010.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 3 – 11 
 

Life Sciences 

Other Sciences 

Figure 3.4 Defense versus Non-Defense Non-Defense by Agency 

Source: National Science Foundation, Federal R&D Funding by Budget Function: Fiscal 


Years 2009–11.
 

Note: Fiscal year 2010 (preliminary).
 

Defense 

58% 

Non-Defense 

42% 

National 

Institutes 

of Health 

49% 

Energy 

11% 

NASA 

15% 

National 

Science 

Foundation, 8% 

Agriculture 

4% 

NOAA 1% 

NIST 1% 

All 

Other 

11% 

Federal R&D 

Budget 

Figure 3.5 $60

Federal 

$50 Obligations for 

Research, by Field 

$40 

$30 

$20 

$10 

$0 

1986 1989 1992 1995 1998 2001 2004 2007 

Source: CBO based on NSF, Division of Science Resources Statistics, Federal Funds for 

R&D: FY 2003, 2004, and 2005 and SEI 2006 (Arlington, VA). 

Note: Billions of fiscal year 2000 dollars. 

3 – 12 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

         

                     

                       

                         

                         

                 

                   

                       

       

                       

                       

                   

                             

                           

                 

                       

                       

                     

                           

                         

                         

                     

                 

                           

                           

                           

                   

                     

                 

                           

                             

                       

                       

Cracks in the Federal Research Foundation

Although the Federal government’s support for research has led to significant in‐

novation, according to the 2011 Economic Report of the President, “there are

cracks in the foundations of America’s growth that need to be addressed. The Na‐

tion’s innovation system relies largely on the private sector but also depends on

critical public inputs. For example, basic scientific breakthroughs in engineering,

genetics, chemistry, and many other fields underpin commercial innovation but

provide little or no direct profit themselves, so basic scientific research relies

heavily on public support.”15

More specifically, in 1980 the Federal government provided 70.3 percent of all

dollars spent on basic research, most of which went to universities and univer‐

sity‐based Federal research centers. Since then, the Federal government’s share

of basic research funding given to all entities has fallen to 57.0 percent and its

share of funding of basic research at universities has fallen to about 60 percent,

largely due to increased funding from the private sector.16

There also has been a slowdown in commercialization of technologies by U.S.

universities since 2000. In 1980, Congress passed the Bayh‐Dole Act, which gave

ownership of the intellectual property to the universities and institutions that

created it, even if they used Federal dollars to conduct the research. This was

meant to provide a strong incentive for universities to offer useful technology to

industry, who would then quickly transform it into products. By the late 1980s,

university patenting, licensing of technology to industry, and the proliferation of

university‐linked startup companies all began to accelerate, reaching especially

high growth rates in the late 1990s. However, the pace of these activities slowed

starting in 2000, a slowdown that persisted after the brief recession of the early

2000s.17

Another area that may be suffering from a lack of sufficient funding for research

and innovation is manufacturing, particularly in the area of “advanced technol‐

ogy products” (ATPs). ATPs include goods such as biotechnology products, solar

cells, photosensitive diodes, computers, semiconductors, and robotics18 and it is

crucial for our economy that we remain strong in these areas. As Susan Hockfield,

president of M.I.T. put it, “(t)o make our economy grow, sell more goods to the

world and replenish the work force, we need to restore manufacturing—not the

assembly‐line jobs of the past, but the high‐tech advanced manufacturing of the

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 3 – 13 
 

                     

                             

                   

               

         

                     

                   

                   

                     

                       

               

                           

                       

                     

                       

             

                     

                           

                       

           

             

                 

                       

                         

                       

                     

                       

             

       

                               

                           

                       

                       

future.”19 The United States was running a trade surplus in these manufacturing

products until 2002, when it lost its advantage in ATPs; in 2010, the United States

ran an $81 billion trade deficit in this critically important sector.20

Preserving and Extending Federal Support for Science and

Industrial R&D in the 21st Century

As the Administration has stated, “there are disturbing signs that America’s inno‐

vative performance slipped substantially during the past decade. Across a range

of innovation metrics—including growth in corporate and government R&D, the

number of scientific and technical degrees and workers, access to venture capi‐

tal, and the creation of new firms—our nation has fallen in global innovation‐

ranked competitiveness.”21 For example, according to the World Economic Fo‐

rum, the United States was ranked 7th in the world in its innovative capacity.22

To some degree, this is inevitable as other countries become more developed

and wealth spreads more equally around the world. However, many countries

“recognize that innovation is the key to long‐term economic growth and are mak‐

ing pro‐innovation investments and adopting pro‐innovation policies. Without

thoughtful, decisive, and targeted actions, we cannot expect that the industries

of the future will emerge and prosper in the United States.”23 Therefore, we are

recommending the following policies so that the United States can maintain its

position as a world leader in innovation.

Continue to increase government funding for basic research

Various documents, including the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of

2010 which mandated this report, have highlighted the critical importance of the

NSF, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science (DOE SC) and the National In‐

stitute of Standards and Technology (NIST) laboratories in the area of maintaining

the United States’ leadership role in innovation. These entities need continued

support. Also, basic biomedical research such as that done by NIH, also contrib‐

utes significantly to innovation and deserves continued support.

Sustain government funding for research

In the long run, scientific output will be, to a great extent, a function of the quan‐

tity and quality of individuals who are induced to choose science as a career.

However, a quality scientific education takes a long time, so rapid increases

in public funding in particular fields, followed by sharp cutbacks, can negatively

3 – 14 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                       

                           

                         

           

                     

                           

                       

                   

                     

                     

                   

                     

                     

                       

                   

                       

                 

                 

                             

   

                             

                         

           

                   

       

                     

                           

             

                       

                           

affect the career prospects of young doctorates in the field and discourage

younger students who might consider going on to the next level of training (see

box 3.4). Stable funding would help ensure that the nation receives the full bene‐

fit of its long‐run investments in R&D.

Box 3.4 The Changing Nature of Scientific Endeavors 

The nature of scientific endeavors has changed greatly and policies to improve

R&D need to keep up with these changes. For example, the time required to ed‐

ucate and train new scientists has increased greatly. 1 The body of knowledge a

new researcher must absorb has increased and younger scientists must special‐

ize in narrower technical areas. Yet, the solutions to technical problems typi‐

cally lie outside any one field and scientists must collaborate in teams. 2

Agencies like the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of

Health (NIH) have recognized these changes, and are actively working to pro‐

mote team science and young investigators through a number of new funding

strategies.

On top of this, talented young people must choose between science, which re‐

quires an ever‐growing period of education and apprenticeship, and careers in

fields such as law and finance, which require a shorter period of education.

Thus, it may be necessary to change how young scientists are educated, com‐

pensated, and evaluated for research grants to preserve adequate incentives

for outstanding young people to enter scientific fields of study. 3

1. Benjamin F. Jones “Age and Great Invention,” Review of Economics and Statistics 92 (February 2010)

1–14.

2. See Jones (2010).

3. Former NIH director Elias Zerhouni identified this age trend as the most important challenge for

American science and its funding agencies. See Jocelyn Kasier “Zerhouni’s Parting Message: Make Room

for Young Scientists,” Science 322 (November 2008), 834–35.

Incentivize and reward private sector R&D investment with an enhanced

and extended R&D tax credit

Although the Federal government’s role in R&D is crucial, private R&D invest‐

ment remains essential if ideas are to move from university labs and factories to

commercialization. Therefore, the Administration has proposed simplifying, en‐

hancing, and extending a corporate R&D tax credit, one that is properly struc‐

tured so that it awards firms for undertaking additional R&D, not just activity that

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 3 – 15 
 

                       

                         

                       

                       

                     

   

                         

                     

                         

                     

                       

                       

                     

                           

                       

       

                     

                     

                       

                         

                         

                           

                     

                     

               

         

             

                     

                   

                   

                   

                     

                         

                     

would have occurred even without the credit. This would reward private industry

for undertaking the risks associated with R&D spending, and it would address the

reality that private sector inventors often create social benefits that far exceed

the private returns to R&D. The Administration expects this tax credit would pro‐

vide over $100 billion in benefits to industry over the next decade.

Support innovative entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs and new firms play an essential role in the process of how scien‐

tific discoveries are translated. They develop new industries, create jobs, and

spur economic growth. The financial crisis and the recession from which we are

still recovering disrupted the normal financial and support channels for these en‐

trepreneurs. Passage of the Small Business Jobs Act provided an additional $44

billion in loans through the Small Business Administration and Treasury, and it

also provided $12 billion in tax relief to small businesses. The Administration

seeks to build on its efforts in this area through its Startup America initiative,

which will continue to improve access to capital for start‐ups and accelerate com‐

mercialization of new technology.

Speed the movement of ideas from basic science labs to commercial

application

The Administration is committed to continue its i6 Green Challenges to develop

“Proof of Concept” centers to support all stages of the entrepreneurship process.

As venture capitalists often invest in enterprises that are close to marketing a

product, researchers can find it difficult to get early‐stage funding for their ideas.

Proof of Concept centers can help bridge that gap. In September 2011, 6 initial

winners of these grants were announced, including the Iowa Innovation Council,

whose Proof of Concept center is meant to improve interactions between entre‐

preneurs, businesses, and universities; accelerate technology transfer; and facili‐

tate company and job creation.24

The Administration’s Advanced Manufacturing Partnership seeks to identify op‐

portunities for industry, academia, and government to collaborate in order to ac‐

celerate the development and deployment of emerging technologies with the

potential to transform and reinvigorate advanced manufacturing in the United

States.25 NIH has created a new National Center for Advancing Translational Sci‐

ences that will speed the development of new diagnostics, treatments, and

cures by building new bridges between the lab and clinic. In addition, the Admin‐

istration is developing a Bioeconomy Blueprint detailing ways to use biological

3 – 16 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                       

                       

                       

     

       

                         

                   

                     

                 

                       

                         

                         

                       

                   

                   

                       

                   

   

                   

                       

                       

                       

                           

                     

                       

                   

                         

                 

                             

                   

                     

               

                 

                           

research innovations to address challenges in areas such as health, food, energy,

and the environment. The Blueprint will focus on how to speed up commercial‐

ization and open new markets and more workforce training to develop more sci‐

entists and engineers.

Unleash a clean energy revolution

New and improved energy technologies will be central to the 21st century global

economy, and the Obama Administration is committed to fostering American

leadership in this area. These technologies will provide economic growth, create

jobs, reduce manufacturing costs, and confront environmental challenges while

enhancing energy security. Industrial progress in this area will require a new

foundation of fundamental breakthroughs on which it can build. As a part of the

vision for doubling America’s use of clean energy by 2035, the Administration is

also committed to accelerating the deployment of clean energy options that are

commercially viable today through such activities as the Renewables Rapid Re‐

sponse Team or the Rapid Response Team for Transmission. The Administration

also supports policies, such as a Clean Energy Standard, which provide certainty

and guidance for future private sector investment in energy generation.

Accelerate biotechnology, nanotechnology,

and advanced manufacturing R&D

Various advanced technologies are already showing great promise and efforts

should be expanded to ensure these technologies reach their full potential. For

example, in the area of biotechnology, Federal funding is being provided to in‐

crease the number of individual human genomes sequenced from 34 to over

1,800, with the goal of providing insight into the causes and treatments of major

diseases and to bring down the cost ofsequencing. The National Nanotechnology

Initiative is also helping to foster promising developments in the area of nano‐

technology, “the study and application of extremely small things.”26 Materials

that are made at the nanoscale have desirable properties, such as lighter weight,

more strength, and greater chemical reactivity. Nanotechnology materials are al‐

ready used in a wide range of products, such as surface treatments of fabrics to

resist wrinkles or staining and high‐power rechargeable batteries for cars. Nano‐

technology has also shown promise in areas such as disease prevention (nano‐

devices to transport healthy genetic material to cells), self‐management inter‐

ventions (noninvasive detection of glucose levels in diabetic patients), and dis‐

ease detection (quantum dots to detect cancer cells). The goal of the initiative is

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 3 – 17 
 

                     

                 

                   

       

             

     

                             

                   

                           

                         

               

                         

                         

                   

                     

                   

                     

           

     

                   

                 

                       

       

               

                     

                       

                     

                       

               

Appendix 1
 

to further advances in this field.27 As mentioned above, the Advanced Manufac‐

turing Partnership will seek to develop and deploy advanced manufacturing

processes and technologies to help United States manufacturing continue its out‐

sized contribution to America’s economic recovery.

Develop ways to measure the value and effectiveness

of research investment

In order to ensure that R&D funding is being spent wisely, it is crucial that mean‐

ingful measurement tools are developed to track the effectiveness of this spend‐

ing. Currently, such measures generally do not exist or are not collected on a

regular, systematic basis. One exception to this is the Science and Technology for

America’s Reinvestment: Measuring the Effect of Research on Innovation, Com‐

petitiveness and Science (STAR METRICS). A pilot venture led by NIH, NSF, and

OSTP, STAR METRICS will collect data from a number of large research institutions

funded by the Federal government to calculate employment effects generated

from certain Federal science research funding and investigate ways to measure

outputs such as patents, business start‐ups, and publications at these institu‐

tions.28 Going forward, additional measures need to be developed and collected

on a regular and timely basis.

Definitions of Relevant Terms

Innovation isthe design, invention, development, and/or implementation of new

or altered products, services, processes, systems, organizational structures, or

business models for the purpose of creating new value for customers and finan‐

cial returns for the firm.29

R&D, also called research and experimental development, comprises creative

work undertaken on a systematic basis to increase the stock of knowledge—in‐

cluding knowledge of man, culture, and society—and its use to devise new appli‐

cations.

Research is the systematic study directed toward fuller scientific knowledge or

understanding of the subject studied. Research is classified as either basic or ap‐

plied according to the objectives of the sponsoring agency.

3 – 18 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                   

                     

               

                 

                         

               

                     

                   

           

                 

                       

                       

                       

                         

                     

                           

                         

                     

                     

                       

                       

                     

                     

                       

                               

   

                           

                     

Appendix 2
 

Basic research is the systematic study directed toward fuller knowledge or under‐

standing of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts with‐

out specific applications towards processes or products in mind.

Applied research is the systematic study to gain knowledge or understanding

necessary to determine the means by which a recognized and specific need may

be met.

Development is the systematic application of knowledge or understanding di‐

rected toward the production of useful materials, devices, and systems or meth‐

ods, including design, development, and improvement of prototypes and new

processes to meet specific requirements (see www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsb1003/

definitions.htm).

The Theoretical Underpinnings for a Federal Role in Research

Funding

Economic growth results from several factors, but among the most important in

recent decades has been innovation, which we will define as the design, inven‐

tion, and development of new or altered products, services, and processes for

the purpose of creating new value for customers and financial returns for the

firm.30 Economists established the central role played by innovation in economic

growth in the 1950s, when early empirical efforts to account for growth in U.S.

output by measuring labor and capital inputs left the largest part of growth unex‐

plained. Pioneering work by Abramowitz (1956) and Solow (1957) pointed to im‐

provements in technology as constituting the single most important driver of

increases in U.S. output per person.31 In the 1980s and 1990s, increasingly sophis‐

ticated efforts by economists to define the growth process in advanced industrial

economies placed the process of invention at the center of their models.32 In ad‐

dition, studies have shown that improvements in technology are themselves the

outcome of deliberate efforts to invent and/or adopt new technology; that is, in‐

novation does not need to be left to its own devices but can be fostered through

training and funding.33

At least in the long run, efforts to raise per capita income through additional in‐

vestments in physical capital will run into diminishing returns. But innovation

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 3 – 19 
 

                       

                     

                   

                         

                   

                           

                       

                         

                           

                 

                     

                           

                       

                           

                         

                         

                       

                         

       

need not be subject to these diminishing returns. Technological progress can, in

principle, drive economic growth without limit, thanks to the unique properties

of technological knowledge as an economic asset. In addition, innovation is non‐

rival, in the sense that one person can consume it without diminishing the con‐

sumption of another party. Thomas Jefferson gave a characteristically poetic

expression of this idea when he observed that, “he who receives an idea from

me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his ta‐

per at mine, receives light without darkening me.”34 But knowledge also tends to

be, at least in part, nonexcludable, which means that it is difficult to prevent an‐

other party from using the good and deriving benefits.

Because innovation can create knowledge with the attributes of nonrivalry and

nonexcludability, it can have some of the classic aspects of a “public good” and

may be undersupplied by the market economy. Self‐interested agents in a market

driven economy will invest only in what they can derive profit from. When the

benefits created by an invention cannot be fully appropriated by the inventor,she

will create less—perhaps far less—than is socially optimal. We are left with a clas‐

sic market failure, in which the private value of innovative activity is lower—per‐

hapsfar lower—than the social value. That divergence creates a potential role for

government intervention to promote innovative activity.

3 – 20 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                               

       

                                 

                       

           

                                   

                                 

   

                               

                               

                               

                                   

                               

         

                 

         

                                 

                 

                         

                             

             

     

             

       

                           

                       

   

                           

               

         

               

         

                 

                   

                   

               

                       

                       

         

           

             

                       

                                   

                         

                       

                         

         

Endnotes
 

References
 

1. These institutions make up what is sometimes called a country’s “innovative capacity.” See, for example, Fur‐

man, Porter, and Scott 2002.

2. Atkinson and Andes 2009 cited in National Economic Council 2011, A Strategy for American Innovation, 8.

3. The Advisory Committee on Measuring Innovation in the 21st Century Economy 2008.

4. See Abramowitz 1956 and Solow 1957.
 

5. Romer 1986 and 1990 is often credited with reviving interest in the study of invention‐driven growth. A lead‐

ing textbook that reviews the now‐extensive literature in this domain, both theoretical and empirical, is the work
 

by Acemoglu 2008.
 

6. Important papers by Arrow 1962 and Griliches 1957, 1958, 1979, among many others, recognized that techni‐

cal progress was the outcome of deliberate investment in R&D or in refinement of a production process.
 

7. Since the private sector along with private‐public partnerships play an important role in innovation and R&D,

the Administration is committed to providing the incentives for the private sector to engage in R&D to help fuel

continued innovation in the United States. For example, the Administration is committed to extending the R&D

tax credit.
 

8. Muro and Katz 2010, 11.
 

9. See endnote 30 in Muro and Katz 2010, 51.
 10. Delgado, Porter, and Stern 2011.
 

11. Office of Science and Technology Policy 2011 and White House, Office of the Press Secretary 2011a.
 

12. Burrows 1992 cited in Irwin and Klenow 1996, 12740.
 

13. Regulatory decisions by the Federal Communications Commission, such as exempting early providers from

paying access charges and allowing terminals to be connected to the telecommunications network, were also in‐ strumental in promoting the development of the Internet.
 

14. Nordhaus 2005.
 

15. Council of Economic Advisers 2011, 56.
 

16 National Science Foundation 2010.
 

17. For one independent study of this slowdown, see Litan, Mitchell, and Reedy 2007.
 

18. For the definition of this sector, see U.S. Census Bureau 2010.
 

19. Hockfield 2011.
 

20. See U.S. Census Bureau for data on foreign trade of advanced technology products, www.census.gov/foreign‐

trade/balance/c0007.html.
 

21. National Economic Council, A Strategy for American Innovation, 8.
 

22. World Economic Forum 2011, 514.
 

23. National Economic Council, A Strategy for American Innovation, 8.
 

24. Economic Development Administration Press Release 2011.
 

25. White House, Office of the Press Secretary 2011b.
 

26 For additional information, see National Nanotechnology Initiative, What is Nanotechnology?
 

27. For additional information, see National Nanotechnology Initiative, Benefits and Applications.
 

28. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2010.
 

29. The Advisory Committee on Measuring Innovation in the 21st Century Economy 2008.

30. The Advisory Committee on Measuring Innovation in the 21st Century Economy 2008.

31. Abramowitz 1956 and Solow 1957.

32. Romer 1986, 1990 and Acemoglu 2008.

33. Arrow 1962 and Griliches 1957, 1958, 1979.

34. Thomas Jefferson, in his letter to Isaac McPherson, dated 13 August 1813.

Abramowitz, Moses. 1956. “Resource and Output Trends in the United States Since 1870.” The American Eco‐ nomic Review 46 (May): 5–23.

Acemoglu, Daron. 2008. Introduction to Modern Economic Growth. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press;

press.princeton.edu/titles/8764.html.

The Advisory Committee on Measuring Innovation in the 21st Century Economy. 2008. Innovation Measurement:

Tracking the State of Innovation in the American Economy. Washington, DC: Economics and Statistics Administra‐

tion, U.S. Department of Commerce; www.esa.doc.gov/sites/default/files/reports/documents/innovation_

measurement_01‐08.pdf.

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Atkinson, Robert D., and Scott M. Andes. 2009. The Atlantic Century: Benchmarking EU and U.S. Innovation and

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(June): 155–73.

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Furman, Jeffrey L., Michael E. Porter, and Scott Stern. 2002. “The Determinants of National Innovative Capacity.”

Research Policy 31, no. 6 (August): 899–933.

Griliches, Zvi. 1979. “Issues in Assessing the Contribution of Research and Development to Productivity Growth.”

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Litan, Robert, Lesa Mitchell, and E. J. Reedy. 2007. “Commercializing University Innovations: Alternative Ap‐

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tistics. vol. 63, no. 2 (May): 275–282.

“Thomas Jefferson to Isaac McPherson.” 1813. In The Writings of Thomas Jefferson [volume 3], edited by Andrew

A. Lipscomb and Albert Ellery Bergh, 333–335. Washington, DC: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Association, 1905;

press‐pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/a1_8_8s12.html.

U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division. 2010. “Advanced Technology Product Definitions.” In Foreign Trade

Statistics; www.census.gov/foreigntrade/reference/glossary/a/atp.html#general.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, “STAR METRICS: New Way to Mea‐

sure the Impact of Federally Funded Research,” Press Release, June 1, 2010; www.nih.gov/news/health/jun2010

/od‐01.htm.

White House, Office of the Press Secretary. 2011a. “Accelerating Technology Transfer and Commercialization of

Federal Research in Support of High‐Growth Businesses.” Presidential Memorandum. October 28;

www.whitehouse.gov/the‐press‐office/2011/10/28/presidential‐memorandum‐accelerating‐technology‐transfer‐

and‐commerciali.

White House, Office of the Press Secretary. 2011b. “President Obama Launches Advanced Manufacturing Part‐ nership.” News Release. June 24; www.whitehouse.gov/the‐press‐office/2011/06/24/president‐obama‐launches‐ advanced‐manufacturing‐partnership.

World Economic Forum. 2011. The Global Competitiveness Report, 2011–2012. Geneva, Switzerland: Centre for

Global Competitiveness and Performance; reports.weforum.org/global‐competitiveness‐2011‐2012.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 3 – 23 

 

                         

                         

   

               

       

                       

                         

                       

                   

                   

                       

                           

                       

                           

                             

                   

                 

                       

                       

                       

                       

                     

                         

                     

                           

 

 

Educating Our

Workforce

“If we want to win the future—if we want innovation to produce jobs

in America and not overseas—then we also have to win the race to

educate our kids.”

—President Barack Obama, State of the Union Address,
 


January 25, 2011
 


Education is a key element for promoting economic growth and increasing the in‐

novative capacity of a firm or a country. Economic growth “closely depends on

the synergies between new knowledge and human capital, which is why large in‐

creases in education and training have accompanied major advances in techno‐

logical knowledge in all countries that have achieved significant economic

growth.”1 Our nation’s education system underpins the United States’ rise to the

position of richest nation on the planet in the last century.2 However, we must

recognize and address cracks in this building block of American innovation, lest

we fall behind countries that have placed a higher priority on developing a skilled

workforce.

It is not sufficient in today’s global economy for a nation to have a generally

skilled and educated workforce. Increasingly, the specific skills embodied in sci‐

ence, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education fuel the inno‐

vative processes that are especially valuable to our economy. These skills are

sought by companies across the economy as they look to expand their work‐

forces. These STEM skills are not only important for those working towards ad‐

vanced degrees. All levels of the education system should incorporate the critical

thinking and other skills that are the hallmark of STEM education.3

This chapter compares the United States to other nations on the dimensions of

access to education and training and academic outcomes, with a particular fo‐

cus on STEM. Furthermore, it outlines the diverse and critical role of the Federal

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 4 – 1 
 

                     

     

                 

                     

               

                       

                         

                     

                   

                         

                       

                         

                     

                     

                     

                   

                     

                      

                       

                         

                         

                     

                             

               

       

                         

                 

                         

                         

                       

                         

                           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

government in building a skilled and competitive workforce. Areas to be ad‐

dressed are summarized below:

●	 The United States must sustain the quality of its post‐secondary education

system, which is the top destination for students from abroad, while also

removing barriers that have limited the post‐secondary participation and per‐

formance of U.S. students. It is essential that the United States equip future

and current workers with the skills needed to compete in a global labor mar‐

ket.

●	 Given the importance of the role played by technological progress and innova‐

tion in promoting economic growth, investment in STEM education is espe‐

cially important. Yet the United States is falling behind in this area at all

education levels, and addressing this shortcoming is needed if we are to con‐

tinue to produce not only a workforce with the technical skills needed to fill

current job openings, but persons with the unique blend of technical exper‐

tise and entrepreneurial spirit who will create the products and industries of

the future.

Education is a complex and multifaceted process that spans pre‐school through

life‐long learning and involves policy issues ranging from affordability and tech‐

nology, to questions of support for higher education, classroom size, equal ac‐

cess, and teacher compensation. This chapter primarily and narrowly focuses its

attention to STEM because of the strong link between STEM skills, STEM occupa‐

tions, and innovation. However, our narrow attention to STEM in no way implies

that other aspects of education policy are not important in making our country

more innovative and competitive. Indeed, our attention to STEM should be

viewed as only one example of an area where concern has been raised about the

nation’s performance relative to other countries in the world.

The STEM Workforce Is Expanding

The STEM workforce is typically defined as the set of professional and technical

support occupations in the fields of computer science and mathematics, engi‐

neering, and life and physical sciences. In 2010, there were 7.6 million STEM

workers in the United States, representing about 1 in 18 workers. Computer and

math occupations account for close to half of STEM employment, followed by en‐

gineering with 32 percent of STEM jobs, physical and life sciences with 13 per‐

cent, and STEM management jobs with 9 percent. Over the past 10 years, growth

4 – 2	 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                             

                     

                     

                       

                 

                       

                 

         

                 

                         

                             

                         

                     

 

 

��� 

��� 

Figure 4.1 ��� 

Recent and 

Projected Growth 

in STEM and NonSTEM Employment 

in STEM jobs (7.9 percent) was three times as fast as growth in non‐STEM jobs

(2.6 percent). Looking ahead over the coming years, STEM employment is ex‐

pected to continue to grow at a faster rate (see figure 4.1).

9% 

6% 

3% 

0% 

��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 

����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 

�������� 

���������������� �������������������������� 

STEM 

�������� 

STEM workers fill our nation’s research and development facilities and drive our

nation’s innovation and competitiveness by generating new ideas, new compa‐

nies, and new industries. Not surprisingly, more than three‐fourths of the most

celebrated inventors and entrepreneurs since 1800 had degrees in engineering,

physics, chemistry, computer science, or medicine.4

Commensurate with their importance in driving economic productivity and

growth, workers in STEM fields earn more on average than workers in other

fields. As a result, providing more students with the skills to work in STEM fields

is crucial both to the nation’s economic future and to improving the incomes

of our workers. STEM workers enjoy large earnings premiums over non‐STEM

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 4 – 3 
 

                         

                           

                         

       

           

                       

                       

                         

                               

                           

                             

                           

                 

                       

                       

                       

                   

                     

                       

                   

                   

           

 

 

Table 4.1 

Average Hourly 

Earnings of 

Workers in STEM 

Occupations, 2010 

workers. For example, in 2010, the STEM premium earned by workers with a

bachelor’s degree was 27 percent, and for workers with a graduate degree, it was

12 percent5 (see table 4.1). STEM workers are also less likely to experience job‐

lessness than their non‐STEM counterparts.

Education STEM Non-STEM Difference 

High school diploma or less $24.82 $15.55 59.6% 

Some college or associate degree $26.63 $19.02 40.0% 

Bachelor’s degree only $35.81 $28.27 26.7% 

Graduate degree $40.69 $36.22 12.3% 

Source: Economics and Statistics Administration calculations using Current Population Survey public‐

use microdata.

Note: Full‐time private wage and salary workers.

STEM Skills in Demand Throughout the Economy

Just as innovative processes take place both inside and outside the traditional

spheres of research and development (R&D), STEM is now often defined both in‐

side and outside the traditional set of science and engineering jobs. Thus, STEM

can be defined not just as a group of workers in science and engineering jobs, but

also as a set of workers with STEM education or STEM knowledge and skills,

whether or not they work in STEM jobs. The human capital embodied in the work

that STEM workers perform is valued in othersectors of the economy. This capital

includes knowledge of mathematics, computers, and electronics and more gen‐

eral skills, such as critical thinking, troubling shooting, and various forms of rea‐

soning.6 More generally, a growing number of occupations in the economy have

been found to require a greater intensity of non‐routine analytical and interactive

tasks—that is, ones requiring reasoning and high executive functioning—while a

declining number of occupations rely more heavily on manual and routine tasks.7

Nearly two‐thirds of workers with undergraduate degrees in a STEM field are

working in non‐STEM occupations, such as healthcare, education, the social

4 – 4 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                   

                         

             

                           

                   

               

                           

                       

                         

                     

                       

         

                           

                         

                           

                       

                             

                         

 

 

Figure 4.2 

The Overlap 

Between STEM 

Jobs and STEM 

Degrees 

sciences, and management8 (see figure 4.2). These workers are not underper‐

forming, nor are they mismatched in their current jobs. Rather, the same human

capital that drives innovative processes through traditional R&D‐related employ‐

ment is needed across our economy, a suggestion that is confirmed in surveys of

these workers as well.9 Furthermore, many STEM‐educated workers who choose

education jobs are likely teaching STEM skills to others.

STEM

JOB

Non-STEM 

degree 

1.4 

million 

workers 

STEM

DEGREE

Non-STEM job 

5.9 million 

workers 

STEM job & 

degree 

3.3 million 

workers 

Source: Economics and Statistics Administration calculations from American Community 

Survey microdata. 

The value of STEM human capital isreflected in the earnings premium enjoyed by

college‐educated workers with a STEM degree. All else equal, workers with a

STEM degree earn 11 percent more per hour in full‐time non‐STEM jobs than

workers with other undergraduate degrees. When STEM majors work in STEM

jobs, their earnings premium rises to 20 percent, relative to persons with non‐

STEM degrees working in non‐STEM jobs.10

Given that more than two‐thirds of STEM workers have at least a college degree

and that demand for STEM workers and workers with STEM degrees continues to

grow, the U.S. college and university system is a cornerstone of our STEM future.

Fortunately, at the college level, the United States continues to set the stan‐

dard of the quality of the educational system and in the value of obtaining a col‐

lege degree. However, the United States is losing ground to other countries in

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 4 – 5 
 

                   

                       

                     

                             

                 

       

                     

                 

                                 

                           

                               

                             

                     

         

 

 

 

United States

United Kingdom

Australia

Germany

France

Canada

Japan

Spain

New Zealand

Italy

Austria

Korea

Switzerland

Belgium

Netherlands

Sweden

Czech Republic 

Figure 4.3 

Distribution of 

Foreign Tertiary 

Students Across 

OECD Countries 

important areas of education, specifically in creating opportunities for students

to gain expertise in STEM skills. Improvements are required at all education lev‐

els, including post‐secondary school, if the United States is to remain internation‐

ally competitive and for it to continue to excel in preparing its workforce for an

increasingly knowledge‐intensive economy.

Many U.S. Universities Are Outstanding But Our Production of

U.S. STEM Graduates Is Not

Elite institutions within the United States’ college and university system typically

dominate global rankings of prestigious higher education institutions. In 2011‐

2012, in a worldwide ranking, 18 out of the top 25 universities and 30 out of the

top 50 universities were in the United States. The United Kingdom was next with

four in the top 25 and five in the top 50.11 These rankings make our country a

magnet for the best students from around the world. The United States is still the

top destination for students studying abroad, although its share has fallen some‐

what over time (see figure 4.3).

35% 2000 

2009 

30% 

25% 

20% 

15% 

10% 

5%
 


0%
 


Source: OECD Education at a Glance 2011, Table C3.6.
 


Note: OECD member countries with fewer than 1% of foreign students are not shown.
 


4 – 6 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                             

                             

                           

                     

                           

                           

                       

                     

                     

                     

         

 

 

 

Figure 4.4 

Exports of 

Educational 

Services, 

1990–2010 

Another way to look at the desirability of the United States as a destination for

study isin export terms: when studentsfrom abroad come to the United Statesto

study, that is an export of educational services (see figure 4.4). In 2010, receipts

from education exports exceeded $21 billion, more than doubling over the previ‐

ous 10 years in keeping with the rising cost of attending U.S. colleges and univer‐

sities. Close to half of the receipts came from China ($4.0 billion), India ($3.3

billion), and Korea ($2.2 billion) (see figure 4.5). Roughly 40 percent of interna‐

tional students in 2010–2011 were studying in STEM‐related fields, such as engi‐

neering (18.7 percent), math and computer sciences (8.9 percent), and physical

and life sciences (8.8 percent). Business and management ranked the most popu‐

lar individual field (21.5 percent).12

$25 

$20 

$15 

$10 

$5 

$0 

1990 92 94 96 98 2000 02 04 06 08 2010 

Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis. 

Note: Data are in billions of current dollars. 

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 4 – 7 
 

                   

               

                           

                       

                 

                           

                 

                           

                       

                         

                         

                           

 

 

 

China

India

Korea

Canada

Taiwan

Japan

Saudi Arabia

Mexico

Germany

United Kingdom 

Figure 4.5 $4.5 

Exports of $4.0 

Educational 

$3.5 Services to
 


Selected
 
 $3.0 

Countries, 

2010 $2.5 

$2.0 

$1.5 

$1.0 

$0.5 

$0.0 

$4.0 

$3.3 

$2.2 

$0.9 $0.8 $0.7 

$0.4 $0.4 $0.3 $0.3 

Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis.
 


Note: Data are for 2010 and are in billions of current dollars.
 


While the United States continues to have top‐flight higher education institu‐

tions, fundamental problems in the kindergarten through college system

threaten our ability to increase the skills of our workforce as rapidly as needed.

Among high school graduates who do enroll in college, a remarkably high propor‐

tion—20 percent—takes at least one remedial course their freshman year.13 Stu‐

dents who take remedial coursework often do not fully catch up with their other

college‐going peers: compared with college students who need no remediation,

students who take even a single remedial course are less likely to earn their bach‐

elor’s degree than students who did not take any remedial courses.14 More gen‐

erally, the United States has slipped behind other countries in terms of college

attainment rates over the second half of the 20th century. The cohort born be‐

tween 1943 and 1952 had the highest share of bachelor degree holders in the

4 – 8 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                         

                       

                       

                 

                       

                       

                         

                           

                 

                     

                         

         

                         

                               

                             

                               

                             

                       

                     

                       

                     

                     

                   

                   

                       

                         

                         

                       

                           

                         

 

 

 

 

world. Since then several other countries have not only caught up but surpassed

the United States in the proportion of adults who have completed college. Cur‐

rently, the share of the U.S. population aged 25–34 that has attained post‐sec‐

ondary education is only slightly above the OECD average.15

Of those who graduate from college, the United States produces fewer STEM

graduates relative to other developed countries. OECD data show that in 2009

12.8 percent of U.S. graduates with bachelor’s degrees were in STEM fields. This

places the United States near the bottom of OECD countries in terms of the per‐

centage of STEM graduates produced. Significant economic competitors—such as

South Korea (26.3 percent), Germany (24.5 percent), Canada (19.2 percent), and

the United Kingdom (18.1 percent)—are on the long list of countries producing a

much higher percentage of STEM graduates.16

Asthey advance through the education system, U.S. students choose not to enter

STEM fields or, if they do pursue these studies, do not continue. Three out of four

high school students who test in the top math quartile don’t start with a STEM

major in college, and only half of all students who start in a STEM major graduate

with a STEM degree.17 While no single reason can account for the low share of

students in STEM fields, students’ poor K–12 math and science preparation and

their unwillingness to commit the additional study time needed for math and sci‐

ence courses relative to other classes are likely contributing factors.18 As detailed

below, the Department of Education and the National Science Foundation have

developed initiatives to improve K–12 and college‐level STEM instruction and to

reduce the number of students exiting STEM majors for other majors.

The High Cost of College and Poor Academic Preparation Deter

Students

Given the importance of a college education to a worker’s productivity and earn‐

ings, particularly for STEM‐educated workers, it is striking that only 70 percent of

high school graduates in 2009 went on to some higher education—a rate lower

than that of the highest performing countries, such as Norway and New Zea‐

land.19

One barrier to college attendance is the high price of tuition and fees. Whether

for a 2‐year or 4‐year degree, tuition has climbed much faster than consumer

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 4 – 9 
 

                     

                           

                     

                         

                             

                           

                             

                       

                         

                       

                     

                               

                         

                               

                 

                         

                 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 4.6 

Percentage Growth 

Since 2000 in 

College Tuition, 

Consumer Prices, 

and Median 

Household Income 

prices and household incomes. Over the past decade, in‐state public university

tuition and fees more than doubled while tuition and fees for 2‐year schools rose

71 percent. During the same period, overall consumer prices increased 27 per‐

cent and nominal median household income rose 18 percent (see figure 4.6). In

other words, household income over the period was not able to keep up with the

overall increase in consumer prices, let alone the soaring sticker price of a college

education. The cost of room and board (not included in tuition and fees) was no

more forgiving. Between the 1999–2000 and 2009–2010 school years, the cost of

staying in a college dormitory rose 80 percent while board increased 55 percent.

Grant aid from public and private sources, including Federal Pell Grants and Fed‐

eral education tax credits and deductions, however, have helped soften the finan‐

cial blow to families. As a result, the net price of a college education—that is, the

published price of tuition and fees minus all forms of financial aid—has not in‐

creased as fast as the sticker prices.20 In fact, in constant dollars the net price for

full‐time students attending public, four‐year institutions in 2011–2012 increased

just $60 relative to 2007–2008, while the net price for public, two‐year schools

and private schools in 2011–2012 was lower than in 2007–2008.21

University tuition and fees 

2-year college 

tuition and fees 

Overall consumer prices 

Median household income 

125% 

100% 

75% 

50% 

25% 

0% 

2000 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 2010 

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Census Bureau, and Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

4 – 10 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                         

                     

                     

                                 

                         

                           

                       

                           

                               

                   

                           

                         

                           

                         

                         

                     

 

 

 

Figure 4.7 

Math and Science 

Test Scores in the 

U.S. and OECD 

Another barrier to attending college (and an explanation for the high rate of re‐

medial education in college) is inadequate K–12 preparation. The primary and

secondary education system in the United States must prepare students who

wish to go to college and specialize in a STEM field with the skills to do so. Simi‐

larly, those students who choose to enter the workforce directly after high school

and not attend college must be equipped with the skills necessary to be trained

for STEM jobs that do not require a college education. Yet pre‐college prepara‐

tion in the skills that will allow students to specialize in STEM coursework in col‐

lege or to enter STEM jobs right out of high school is lagging. The Program for

International Student Assessment (PISA) test scores reveal that U.S. students con‐

sistently scored below the OECD average in math in 2003, 2006, and 2009 (the

past three testing cycles). In science, while U.S. students scored lower than the

OECD average in science literacy in 2006, the average score of U.S. students in

2009 was not measurably different from the 2009 OECD average (see figure 4.7).

Further, U.S. students scored lower than the students in 12 OECD countries, and

not significantly different from students in 12 other countries. These conclusions

510
 


United States
 


OECD Average 

500 

490 

480 

470 

Mathematics Science 

Source: OECD, PISA 2003, 2006, and 2009 databases. 

2003 2006 2009 2003 2006 2009 

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 4 – 11 
 

                             

                   

                           

                           

                           

                         

                     

                         

                           

                         

                         

       

                       

                           

                     

                       

                   

                     

                     

                     

                   

                       

                       

                   

                       

                 

                             

               

           

                         

                   

                         

                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

about the world ranking of U.S. students is supported by the results of the most

recent National Assessment for Educational Progress study, which shows that al‐

though U.S. students have improved in math over the past 30 years, only 26 per‐

cent of 12th graders are “proficient” or better in math. In reading, 38 percent of

students scored at the proficient level or higher in 2009. While overall math and

reading scores for 12th graders have improved between 2005 and 2009 (the latest

two reports available), there remain notable and persistent disparities by race,

ethnicity and gender.22 The latestscience scores may also give reason for pause as

only 21 percent of 12th graders were found to be “proficient” or better.23 Overall

these scores suggest that while we need to boost student achievement in all di‐

mensions, we are particularly poor right now in skills that prepare students for

post‐secondary STEM education and training.

Although post‐secondary education isthe principal path into a STEM job, a 4‐year

degree is just one option for future or current workers who want to gain STEM‐

related knowledge and skills. With relatively low tuition, wide dispersion through

the United States, convenient class times, and course offerings aimed at students

from diverse high school backgrounds, our nation’s community colleges lower

the barriers to post‐secondary education. A recent study of Florida community

colleges highlights their dual role in increasing economic mobility by enabling

students (particularly low‐income students with good grades in high school) to

transfer to 4‐year colleges and in teaching work‐enhancing skills (which particu‐

larly benefit low‐income students who were less successful in high school).24 As

the Florida study and others highlight, the payoff of choosing more technically

oriented fields is considerable. This becomes particularly clear when examining

training programs aimed at dislocated workers, for whom 1 year of technical

training can increase workers’ re‐employment earnings by $1,600, compared

with $800 for other types of training.25 Note that these results related to just 1

year of study, as opposed to a 2‐year degree.

Demographics Create Challenges and Opportunities for

Growth

Given the advantages of working in a STEM occupation and having an educational

background in STEM, there are disturbing demographic disparities in STEM edu‐

cation and in the composition of workers in STEM occupations. Women are vastly

underrepresented among STEM workers. Despite making up nearly half of the

4 – 12 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                           

                     

                         

                         

                     

                         

                           

                       

                         

                 

                     

                   

                     

                         

                   

                           

                           

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 4.8 

Gender 

Distribution 

Between STEM and 

All Employment, 

2009 

U.S. workforce, women hold less than 25 percent of STEM jobs, and this disparity

has persisted throughout the past decade, even as college‐educated women have

increased their share of the overall workforce (see figure 4.8). Though this varies

by field of study, overall women hold a disproportionately low share of STEM un‐

dergraduate degrees. For example, this is particularly true in engineering, though

women receive the majority of degrees in biology. Also, women with a STEM de‐

gree are less likely than their male counterparts to work in a STEM occupation

and more likely to work in education or healthcare. This has real consequences,

as women with STEM jobs earned 33 percent more than comparable women in

non‐STEM jobs—considerably higher than the STEM premium for men—so the

gender wage gap is smaller in STEM jobs than in non‐STEM jobs.26

Like women, most racial and ethnic minorities are underrepresented among

STEM workers. A noticeable exception is non‐Hispanic Asians. Fifteen percent of

all non‐Hispanic Asians work in STEM jobs, almost 3 times the overall share of

STEM workers in the economy. This reflects non‐Hispanic Asian’s greater likeli‐

hood of graduating from college, majoring in a STEM discipline, and working in a

STEM job given a degree in a STEM major. For example, non‐Hispanic Asians are

100% 

80% 

60% 

40% 

20% 

0% 

Men 

52% 

76% 

Women 

48% 

24% 

All jobs STEM jobs 

Source: Economics and Statistics Administration calculations from American Community Survey 

microdata. 

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 4 – 13 
 

                           

                         

                       

                     

                 

                           

                 

                       

             

             

                       

                               

                     

                         

                               

                         

                       

Figure 4.9 

Foreign-Born 

Share of STEM and 

Non-STEM 

Employment, by 

Education 

most likely (42 percent) to graduate from college with a STEM degree, while the

propensities of other groups are all fairly similar (17–22 percent). Half of all non‐

Hispanic Asian workers with STEM degrees have STEM jobs, compared to 30 per‐

cent of Hispanics, non‐Hispanic black, and American Indian and Alaska Native

workers. Interestingly, on average, all minority groups have higher wage premi‐

ums from having a STEM job than do non‐Hispanic whites (31 to 39 percent ver‐

sus 22 percent). With greater equality in educational attainment, demographic

disparities within the STEM workforce can be diminished, helping to boost STEM

employment and U.S. leadership in technology and innovation.27

The Foreign‐Born Are Key Members of the STEM Workforce

Many innovations that were born in America have been developed by persons

who were not born in America. One in five STEM workers is foreign born, with 63

percent coming from Asia. The foreign‐born share of STEM workers with gradu‐

ate degrees (44 percent) is about twice the foreign‐born share of STEM workers

for all education levels and has nearly doubled over the past 17 years, as has the

foreign‐born share of STEM workers with just a bachelor's degree also has posted

strong gains28 (see figure 4.9). The growth in the foreign‐born STEM workforce

STEM with graduate degree 

STEM with bachelor’s degree 

Non-STEM with graduate degree 

Non-STEM with bachelor’s degree 

45% 

40% 

35% 

30% 

25% 

20% 

15% 

10% 

5% 

0% 

1994 96 98 2000 02 04 06 08 2010 

Source: Economics and Statistics Administration calculations using Current Population Survey 

public-use microdata. 

4 – 14 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                       

                         

                             

                   

     

                           

                       

                     

       

                       

                       

                       

                       

               

                   

                       

                   

                   

                         

                   

                     

   

     

                           

                         

                       

                           

                       

                       

                     

                             

                       

                       

 

 

 

 

 

reflects multiple factors affecting the supply of and demand for STEM workers.

One factor is the difficulty that employers often report in finding applicants with

the right technical skills to fill their job openings. Even as we emerge from a his‐

torically deep recession, employers report shortages of skilled workers including

engineers and software developers.29

In a global economy, the payoff to attracting the brightest minds to the United

States has been considerable. Consider, for example, that nearly 20 percent of

the Fortune 500 firms founded between 1985 and 2010 were started by an immi‐

grant to the United States.30

Many of the foreign‐born students educated in STEM disciplines in the United

States want to remain here lawfully—starting their own firms or contributing to

the growth of existing firms. The United States must develop immigration policies

to ensure that this country is welcoming to the world’s best and brightest.

The Administration Is Lowering the Barriers to a College

Education

States and localities, like American families, face difficult budget situations fol‐

lowing the recent deep recession. This has led to difficult choices regarding edu‐

cation. The Obama Administration recognizes these difficulties and has worked

on several fronts to make critical investments in our education system—invest‐

ments that make college affordable and increase the quality and payoff of the ed‐

ucation investment that American families are making. These initiatives will

strengthen our future and current workforce and more fundamentally build our

overall innovative capacity.

Making College More Affordable

Since its origin in 1972, the Federal Pell Grant program has become the most sig‐

nificant source of Federal grant aid to college students and the largest single

source of aid at public colleges and universities. The Obama Administration has

worked to raise both the maximum Pell Grant amount and expand the number of

grants awarded. Through amendments to Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) by

the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the Student Aid and

Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), the maximum Pell Grant award was raised from

$4,731 in 2008 to $5,550 in 2010. Beginning in 2013, the maximum Pell grant will

increase with the Consumer Price Index. SAFRA also made Federal loans available

directly to students, ending wasteful subsidies once paid to lenders and other

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 4 – 15 
 

               

                       

                     

                     

                         

                           

                         

                         

                       

                     

                         

                       

                               

                       

                   

                     

                       

                           

         

                       

                 

                         

                           

                         

                     

                         

               

   

                       

                     

                         

               

                   

                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

state guaranty agencies. Overall, the Administration has maintained extraordi‐

nary commitment to the Pell program, with total aid to students increasing from

$18 billion in 2008 to more than $30 billion in 2011.31

These initiatives have succeeded in holding down the growth in the out‐of‐pocket

costs students and their families are paying for college. Over 9 million college stu‐

dents received an average of $3,700 in Pell Grant awards in the most recent aca‐

demic year, as compared to 5.5 million college students who received an average

Pell Grant award of $2,650 in the year before President Obama took office.32

In addition to expanding and increasing Pell Grant availability and awards, ARRA

established the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC), which provides up to

$2,500 a year for college tuition and related expenses for American families. This

tax credit improves notably upon the Hope Scholarship credit that it replaced.

AOTC has a higher maximum benefit, and it can be claimed for up to four years

rather than only two years of undergraduate education. Furthermore, AOTC has a

higher income eligibility cutoff, thus making it available to more middle‐class

families, and it is partially refundable, making it more beneficial to lower‐income

families. This credit was expected to benefit 9.4 million students and their fami‐

lies in 2011. In December 2010, the President signed an extension of the AOTC

through the end of 2012.

The SAFRA Act also greatly improved the terms of an income‐based repayment

program established in 2007 for student loans. Under these improvements, bor‐

rowers will have their student loan payments capped at 10 percent rather than

15 percent of their discretionary income. This new cap was originally going to be

available only to new borrowers after July 1, 2014, but President Obama recently

announced the availability of a similar “pay‐as‐you‐earn” plan two years earlier.

Borrowers who keep up their payments for 20 years will see their remaining

debts forgiven—or 10 years for persons with public service jobs.33

Addressing STEM Shortcomings

To address the poor STEM participation and performance in our nation’s schools,

the Administration has launched multiple initiatives (see box 4.1 for a discussion

on the efforts mandated by COMPETES to develop an inventory of all STEM edu‐

cational initiatives). “Educate to Innovate” establishes five major public‐private

partnerships to harness the power of media, interactive games, hands‐on learn‐

ing, and community volunteers to reach millions of students and expand STEM

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education and opportunities to all students, particularly those of underrepre‐

sented groups.

A necessary step to improving our students’ understanding of STEM fields, which

should, in turn, lead to more college graduates with STEM training and more

STEM workers, is to train additional STEM teachers. Of course, having more

teachers is only effective if it does, in fact, lead to an increase in college gradua‐

tion rates in STEM fields. The Widening Implementation and Demonstration of

Evidence based Reforms (WIDER) program at NSF will help improve undergradu‐

ate STEM instruction and outcomes at universities.

Finally, STEM education and career opportunities for underrepresented groups,

including minorities and women and girls, need to be expanded. To this end, the

“NSF Career‐Life Balance Initiative,” has been announced. This is a 10‐year plan

designed to give flexibility to women and men who pursue research careers. For

example, NSF will expand a program that will allow researchers to delay or sus‐

pend their grants for up to one year in order to care for a newborn or newly ad‐

opted child or fulfill other family obligations.

Box 4.1 Inventory of Federal STEM Educational Programs 

Section 101 of COMPETES requires the White House Office of Science and Tech‐

nology Policy (OSTP) to prepare an annual report to Congress describing STEM

educational programs and activities by Federal agency in the prior and current

fiscal years as well as in the President’s budget. 1 The report will also list the

programs’ funding levels, evaluate their duplication and fragmentation, and de‐

scribe how participating Federal agencies will disseminate information about

federally supported resources to STEM educators. In partial fulfillment of this

requirement, OSTP has developed a detailed inventory covering all 13 Federal

agencies that sponsor such programs. The inventory tallied 252 specific pro‐

grams with a total Federal investment of $3.5 billion. About $1 billion of that is

being spent to train individuals for activities specific to the mission of those

funding agencies, including National Institutes of Health training programs to

help develop the next generation of biomedical researchers and US Depart‐

ment of Agriculture programs to train agricultural scientists.

1. Office of Science and Technology Policy Press Release, ”Federal Science, Technology, Engineering, and

Math Education Inventory Highlighted,” September 19, 2011; www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/

files/microsites/ostp/ostp‐stem‐inventory_9‐19‐11.pdf, and America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of

2010, Pub L. No. 115–358, January 4, 2011; www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW‐111publ358/pdf/PLAW‐ 111publ358.pdf.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 4 – 17 
 

           

                       

                   

                     

                       

                       

                     

                         

                       

                   

               

                     

                     

                   

                   

                       

                   

                     

                           

                 

                         

           

               

                     

                     

                   

                             

                           

                       

                       

                             

                     

 

 

 

Helping Community Colleges Assist Workers and Businesses

The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (HCRA) includes a $2 billion in‐

vestment in our nation’s community colleges, enabling eligible institutions of

higher education to expand their capacity to provide quality education and train‐

ing services to Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) eligible workers as well as

other individuals to improve their knowledge and skills and enable them to ob‐

tain high‐quality employment. Already $500 million in grants have been awarded

to community colleges around the country to expand and improve their ability to

deliver education and career training programs that can be completed in two

years or less. These grants support partnerships between community colleges,

community organizations, and employers to develop programs that provide path‐

ways to good jobs, including building instructional programs that meet specific

industry needs.

Further serving displaced workers, the Skills for America’s Future initiative, an in‐

dustry‐led initiative announced in October 2010, will build and improve partner‐

ships between businesses and educational institutions to train American workers

for 21st century jobs. The initiative was created to foster collaborative efforts be‐

tween the private sector, community colleges, labor unions, and other institu‐

tions, with a commitment to scaling up meaningful and measurable solutions.

The goal is to build a nationwide network of stakeholders who will work to maxi‐

mize workforce development strategies, job training programs, and job place‐

ment. The Skills for America’s Future Task Force has been created and co‐chaired

by top‐level Administration policymakers, to coordinate Federal efforts.34

The Race to the Top Initiative Rewards Statewide Reform

The Race to the Top Fund uses competitive grants to encourage comprehensive

state and local reform that result in increased student achievement, narrowed

achievement gaps, and improved high school graduation and college enrollment

rates.35 As part of Race to the Top, the Department of Education has awarded $4

billion in competitive grants to 11 states and the District of Columbia over two

phases that will directly impact 13.6 million students and 980,000 teachers in

25,000 schools.36 An additional $700 million was made available in 2011, $200

million of which was used to make additional awardsto enable states to carry out

meaningful portions of their ambitious reform plans. The remaining $500 million

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was awarded to nine states through for the new Race to the Top Early Learning

Challenge, a competition to support the states with the most ambitious plans to

ensure that high‐need children from birth to age five enter kindergarten ready to

succeed.37

Enhancing Our Nation’s Educational Infrastructure

As the United States emerges from the Great Recession, states and localities still

face reduced revenues and are continuing to reduce budgets. Local schools, for

example, cut nearly 235,000 jobs from May 2009 to November 2011. At the same

time, budgets to maintain our nation’s more than 100,000 public schools have

been pared back, which hasled to a $270 billion backlog of deferred maintenance

and repair. The cost of heating and cooling antiquated and inefficient buildings

lead districts to spend more each year on their energy bills than on computers

and textbooks combined. Increasing class sizes combined with aging buildings re‐

sult in overcrowded schools that have crumbling ceilings and inadequate wiring

to support today’sinformation technology infrastructure. More funds are needed

to enhance our public schools, with a priority placed on high‐need and rural

schools, Bureau of Indian Education schools and community colleges (including

tribal colleges).

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 4 – 19 
 

     

       

                             

                         

           

         

               

             

         

           

         

       

         

                 

     

             

             

           

                                                           

                                   

                             

         

           

                           

                 

           

         

         

             

         

                   

                 

         

           

       

           

                 

           

           

                       

                                                       

                               

       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Endnotes
 


References
 


1. Becker 2008.

2. Goldin and Katz 2008.

3. These include skills such as mathematics, science, critical thinking, active learning, complex problem solving,

operations analysis, systems analysis, and problem solving. See Carnevale, Smith, and Melton 2011, 7–10.

4. Baumol, Schilling, and Wolff 2009, 723–724.

5. Langdon et al. 2011, 3.

6. Carnevale, Smith, and Melton 2011, 7–10 and 10–60.

7. Council of Economic Advisers 2009, 9‐10.

8. Langdon et al. 2011, 4.

9. National Science Foundation 2010, 3.17–3.20.

10. Langdon et al. 2011, 4–5.

11. Times Higher Education 2011.

12. Institute of International Education 2011.

13. National Center for Education Statistics 2010a, Table 241.

14. Adelman 1998.

15. Council of Economic Advisers 2010, 223–225.

16. Organisation of Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) 2011b.

17. Carnevale, Smith, and Melton 2011, 46–47.

18. Silverman and Light 2011. In addition, many research papers have found that the quality of undergraduate

teaching is a factor that influences the number of STEM students. See for example: www4.ncsu.edu/unity/

lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/long5.html.

19. OECD 2011a, Chart C2.1. Entry into postsecondary education is of course not the only obstacle to obtaining

more STEM workers. Attention must also be paid to ensuring students complete their postsecondary education.

20. College Board 2011, Table 7.

21. Council of Economic Advisers 2011b, 1.

22. National Center for Education Statistics 2010b, Figure 13 and Figure 3, 26 and 9.

23. National Center for Education Statistics 2011, Figure 37, 46.

24. Furchtgott‐Roth, Joacobson, and Mokher 2009, 6.

25. The Hamilton Project 2010, 3.

26. Beede et al. 2011b, 4–5.

27. Beede et al. 2011a, 3–5 and 7–8.

28. Beede et al. 2011a, 5–6.

29. See, for example, summary reports from Federal Reserve Board Beige Book.

30. Partnership for a New American Economy 2011, 9.

31. U.S. Department of Education 2011b.

32. U.S. Department of Education 2011b.

33. White House 2010.

34. Council of Economic Advisers 2011a, 79.

35. U.S. Department of Education, Race to the Top Fund.

36. U.S. Department of Education 2011a.

37. U.S. Department of Education 2011c.

Adelman, Clifford. 1998. “The Kiss of Death? An Alternative View of College Remediation.” National Crosstalk;

www.highereducation.org/crosstalk/ct0798/voices0798‐adelman.shtml.

Baumol, William J., Melissa A. Schilling, and Edward N. Wolff. 2009. “The Superstar Inventors and Entrepreneurs:

How Were They Educated?” Journal of Economics and Management Strategy 18, no. 3 (Fall): 711–728.

Becker, Gary S. 2008. “Human Capital.” The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics. Library of Economics and Liberty.

Accessed December 4, 2011; www.econlib.org/library/Enc/HumanCapital.html.

4 – 20 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                           

                             

                   

                           

                                 

   

                           

             

                             

                                 

                             

                                 

                             

                           

             

                     

                     

                             

   

                         

   

                         

                           

                                 

                             

                           

                           

                           

                             

                   

                         

                           

                       

         

                             

         

                         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beede, David, Tiffany Julian, Beethika Khan, Rebecca Lehrman, George McKittrick, David Langdon, and Mark

Doms. 2011a. Education Supports Racial and Ethnic Equality in STEM. ESA Issue Brief 05–11. Washington, DC:

U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA), September; www.esa.doc.gov/

sites/default/files/reports/documents/educationsupportsracialandethnicequalityinstem_0.pdf.

Beede, David, Tiffany Julian, David Langdon, George McKittrick, Beethika Khan, and Mark Doms. 2011b. Women

in STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation. ESA Issue Brief 04–11. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce,

ESA, August; www.esa.doc.gov/sites/default/files/reports/documents/womeninstemagaptoinnovation8311.pdf.

Carnevale, Anthony, Nicole Smith, and Michelle Melton. 2011. STEM. Report. Washington, DC: Center on Educa‐

tion and the Workforce, Georgetown University, October; www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/stem

‐complete.pdf.

College Board. 2011. Trends in College Pricing 2011. New York, NY: Advocacy and Policy Center; trends.college

board.org/college_pricing/indicator/index.

Council of Economic Advisers. 2009. Preparing the Workers of Today for the Jobs of Tomorrow. July; www.white

house.gov/administration/eop/cea/Jobs‐of‐the‐Future.

Council of Economic Advisers. 2010. Economic Report of the President. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Print‐ ing Office, February; www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/economic‐report‐president.pdf.

Council of Economic Advisers. 2011a. The Economic Report of the President. Washington, DC: U.S. Government

Printing Office, February; www.gpoaccess.gov/eop/2011/pdf/ERP‐2011.pdf.

Council of Economic Advisers. 2011b. Making College More Affordable: Implications of New Data. October 26;

www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/20111026‐cea‐report‐making‐college‐more‐affordable.pdf.

Federal Reserve Board. 2011. “Summary.” In The Beige Book. Report for September 7, 2011, www.federalre‐ serve.gov/fomc/beigebook/2011/20110907/default.htm and Report for October 19, 2011, www.federalreserve.

gov/fomc/beigebook/2011/20111019/default.htm.

Furchtgott‐Roth, Diana, Louis Jacobson, and Christine Mokher. 2009. Strengthening Community Colleges’ Influ‐

ence on Economic Mobility. Economic Mobility Project, Pew Charitable Trusts, October; www.economicmobility.

org/assets/pdfs/PEW_EMP_COMMUNITY_COLLEGES.pdf.

Goldin, Claudia, and Lawrence F. Katz. 2008. The Race between Education and Technology. Cambridge, MA: Har‐

vard University Press.

The Hamilton Project. 2010. Retraining Displaced Workers. Policy Brief. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institu‐

tion, October; www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2010/10_renew_communities_greenstone_looney/

10_displaced_workers_lalonde.pdf.

Institute of International Education. 2011. Open Doors Data, 2009–2010. Accessed November 28, 2011;

www.iie.org/Research‐and‐Publications/Open‐Doors/Data/International‐Students/Field‐of‐Study/2008‐10.aspx.

Partnership for a New American Economy. 2011. “The ‘New American’ Fortune 500.” June 2011; www.renewour

economy.org/sites/all/themes/pnae/img/new‐american‐fortune‐500‐june‐2011.pdf.

Langdon, David , George McKittrick, David Beede, Beethika Khan, and Mark Doms. 2011. STEM: Good Jobs Now

and for the Future. ESA Issue Brief 03–11. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce, ESA; www.esa.doc.

gov/sites/default/files/reports/documents/stemfinalyjuly14_1.pdf.

National Center for Education Statistics. 2010a. “Chapter 2: Postsecondary Education.” 2010 Digest of Education

Statistics; nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d10/ch_3.asp.

National Center for Education Statistics. 2010b. “The Nation’s Report Card: Grade 12 Reading and Mathematics

2009 National and Pilot State Results.” National Assessment of Educational Progress. November 2010; nces.ed.

gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/main2009/2011455.pdf.

National Center for Education Statistics. 2011. “The Nation’s Report Card: Science 2009.” National Assessment of

Educational Progress at Grades 4, 8, and 12. January 2011; nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/main2009/

2011451.pdf.

National Science Foundation. 2010. “Science and Engineering Labor Force.” In Science and Engineering Indica‐

tors: 2010; www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind10/pdfstart.htm.

Organisation of Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD). 2011a. Education at a Glance 2011: OECD In‐

dicators; www.oecd.org/dataoecd/61/2/48631582.pdf.

Organisation of Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD). 2011b. “Graduates by Field of Education.” Ac‐

cessed November 28, 2011 at OECD.StatExtract; stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DatasetCode=RGRADSTY.

Silverman, Rachel Emma, and Joe Light. 2011. “Generation Jobless: Students Pick Easier Majors Despite Less

Pay.” Wall Street Journal, November 9; online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240529702037335045770262127985

73518.html.

Times Higher Education. 2011. World University Rankings 2011–2012. Thomson Reuters. Accessed December 28;

www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world‐university‐rankings.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 4 – 21 
 

                       

                           

         

                           

     

                 

                       

U.S. Department of Education. Race to the Top Fund. Accessed November 28, 2011; www2.ed.gov/programs/

racetothetop/index.html.

U.S. Department of Education. 2011a. “U.S. Department of Education: The FY 2010 Summary of Performance

and Financial Information.” February 2011; www2.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/2010report/summary.pdf.

U.S. Department of Education. 2011b. “2009–2010 Federal Pell Grant Program End‐of‐Year Report.” Office of

Postsecondary Education. May 2011; www2.ed.gov/finaid/prof/resources/data/pell‐2009‐10/pell‐eoy‐09‐

10.pdf.

U.S. Department of Education. 2011c. “ED Review.” May 2011; www2.ed.gov/news/newsletters/edreview/2011/

0527.html.

White House. 2010. “Ensuring that Student Loans are Affordable.” Fact Sheet. January; www.whitehouse.gov/

sites/default/files/100326‐ibr‐fact‐sheet.pdf.

4 – 22 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 


 

                   

                     

                       

                     

                         

                 

     

                   

                 

                         

               

                       

                         

                         

               

                   

                           

                         

                           

                       

                     

                           

                         

                   

                     

                   

                         

                       

                         

                       

                   

                   

           

Infrastructure

for the

21st Century

“It’s the broadband networks beneath us and the wireless signals

around us, the local networks in our schools and hospitals and busi‐

nesses, and the massive grids that power our nation. It's the classified

military and intelligence networks that keep us safe, and the World

Wide Web that has made us more interconnected than at any time in

human history.”

—President Barack Obama, Remarks on Securing Our Nation’s Cyber

Infrastructure, May 29, 2009

Introduction

Providing and maintaining infrastructure is one of government’s most important

roles, and perhaps one of the most underappreciated. Infrastructure improves

the lives of individuals every day, providing electricity and water, the roads and

public transportation needed for commuting and shopping, and the telecommu‐

nications networks needed for the free flow of information and ideas. Businesses

rely on that same infrastructure to interact with suppliers, to produce their goods

and services, and to provide those goods and services to their customers. In

short, “infrastructure—freight ports, airports, bridges, roads, rail and transit net‐

works, water and sewer systems, web of channel communications—is the con‐

nective tissue of our nation” and it “has a dramatic effect on the economic

competitiveness of our nation, the health of our environment and our quality of

life.”1

In the past, the United States led the way in several key areas of infrastructure de‐

velopment, starting with the railroad system of the 1800s, an innovation that

greatly reduced travel times and allowed more robust commerce between the

states and the rest of the world. During the 20th century, electricity was brought

to nearly all homes and businesses; the telephone system brought the ability to

communicate instantly to virtually everyone; paved roads and highways were

vastly increased, with the Eisenhower’s Interstate Highway System at the center;

and an air transportation system emerged to enable unprecedented personal

mobility and access to global products and services. The United States must still

be mindful about the condition of its existing infrastructure, as these investments

remain crucial to its economic health and investments in these assets can provide

high levels of return. Thus, repairing roads and bridges and maintaining the

energy grid and the telecommunications networks need to remain priorities. Fur‐

thermore, these crucial investments in repairing and rebuilding the existing infra‐

structure should incorporate principles of sustainable design.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 5 – 1 
 

                   

                 

                       

                     

                     

                       

                   

                       

                     

                         

                       

                           

                       

                                   

                         

                   

                           

                 

                       

                             

                         

                           

                           

                       

               

                   

                           

                           

                             

                     

                         

                         

                         

                     

                     

However, in today’s economy—with global supply chains, exports to foreign mar‐

kets, telework, and just‐in‐time inventories—the nature of infrastructure needed

to compete is changing, and the United States needs a 21st century infrastructure

to ensure that it remains competitive. This includes improvements to existing in‐

frastructure, such as introducing advances into the highway system that will pro‐

vide safety, mobility and energy efficiency. Infrastructure for the 21st century is

led by the ever‐growing presence and influence of broadband Internet. Defini‐

tions of what constitutes “broadband” can differ, but one useful measure put

forth by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in its recent National

Broadband Plan sets a goal of ensuring that 100 million households have access

to broadband Internet with actual download speeds of 50 megabits per second

(mbps) and actual upload speeds of 20 mbps by 2015, and that 100 million

households should have access to actual download speeds of 100 mbps and ac‐

tual upload speeds of 50 mbps by 2020. In addition, the FCC has set as a goal that

every community should have affordable access to service with speeds of at least

one gigabit per second at schools, hospitals and government buildings.2

Broadband Internet is used by more than 2 billion people and is still growing. In‐

ternet‐related consumption and expenditure is now bigger than agriculture or

energy. Research has shown that the Internet accounts for, on average, 3.4 per‐

cent of GDP across many major countries, reaching as much as 6 percent of GDP

in advanced countries such as Sweden and the United Kingdom.3 The Internet is

also a critical element of growth; in a study of mature economies, the Internet

accounted for 10 percent of GDP growth over the past 15 years, and this contri‐

bution has been increasing over time; the Internet’s contribution to GDP growth

was 21 percent in the last five years.4

Small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), in particular, have benefitted from

the Internet. SMEs with a strong web presence have been found to grow faster

and export more than those that had minimal or no presence. One survey found

these firms also created more than twice the number of jobs as firms without an

Internet presence, creating 2.6 jobs for each one eliminated.5 The Internet also

has created large amounts of consumer value. For example, it is estimated that

the Internet generated $64 billion in consumer value in the United States in

2009.6

Also, a strong 21st century infrastructure is crucial because it is closely linked

to the other key building blocks of competitiveness. Additional basic and ap‐

plied research will lead to improvements in information infrastructure, and that

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infrastructure is necessary to ensure that advances in research of all types can be

efficiently shared among the research community. Education is also closely linked

to infrastructure. Not only does traditional infrastructure, namely school build‐

ings, need to be in good shape in order for students to learn, but information in‐

frastructure, such as broadband, can help deliver new education technologies to

the classroom.

Although private industry has led the way in many forms of infrastructure (most

utilities are privately owned companies, for example), government maintains an

important role because infrastructure can have positive spillover effects that a

private investor would not take into account when deciding whether or not to in‐

vest in the project. As with R&D, it is likely that too little money would be spent

on infrastructure without government intervention.7 In addition, our society has

affirmed repeatedly that we would like all of our citizensto have access to certain

technologies. In the past, this meant providing phone access or electricity to all

parts of the country. Today, expanded high‐speed Internet access would not be

available to certain areas without government assistance.

As discussed below, though the United States has made great strides in harness‐

ing the transformational and economic power of the Internet and other aspects

of a strong 21st century infrastructure, there remains substantial untapped poten‐

tial.

Definition of 21st Century Infrastructure

Infrastructure is a broad concept and there is no single commonly accepted defi‐

nition. Traditionally, infrastructure refers to the physical pathways used to trans‐

port goods, people, and basic utility services. Most commonly, this includes

roads, bridges, seaports, airports, rail lines, the electrical grid, pipelines, and the

water and sewage system. However, more recently, our economy and society

have become more information intensive and “information infrastructure” has

gained in importance. Until relatively recently, information infrastructure was

limited to voice communication over the physical wires of our telephone system

but now includes our broadband Internet connections (including fiber, cable mo‐

dem and digital subscriber line (DSL) service) as well as satellites and cell phone

towers. Further, information infrastructure also encompasses our burgeoning

“cloud computing” capabilities and traditional forms of infrastructure that can be

improved when used in conjunction with 21st century infrastructure, such as the

“Smart Grid” for electricity.

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How Does Our 21st Century Infrastructure Stack Up?

Electricity Grid

Much of our nation’s traditional electricity infrastructure has changed little from

its original design and form at the end of the 19th century.8 The result, according

to U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, is that “the ability of the United States to

meet the growing demand for reliable electricity is challenged.”9 Successfully ad‐

dressing this challenge is critical. “America cannot,” Secretary Chu has stated,

“build a 21st century economy with a 20th century electricity system. By working

with states, industry leaders, and the private sector, we can build a clean, smart,

national electricity system that will create jobs, reduce energy use, and expand

renewable energy production.“10

President Obama has outlined a vision for doubling America’s use of clean energy

by 2035 and achieving the goal of putting one million electric vehicles on the

road by 2015. Having a modernized, smarter electric system is an important step

to meeting these goals. Building the necessary transmission infrastructure and

utilizing smart grid technologies will facilitate the integration of renewable re‐

sources into the grid, accommodate a growing number of electric vehicles, help

avoid blackouts, restore power more quickly when outages occur, and reduce the

need for new power plants. Smart grid technologies also provide a foundation for

innovation by entrepreneurs and others who can develop tools to empower con‐

sumers and help them make informed decisions about energy usage.

To lay out a path forward, the Federal government, in June 2011, released A Pol‐

icy Framework for the 21st Century Grid: Enabling Our Secure Energy Future.11 This

framework features four pillars, which are supported by Administration actions,

and includes further policy recommendations to promote investment, innova‐

tion, and job growth:

1. Enabling cost‐effective smart grid investments by disseminating lessons

learned from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investments.

2. Unlocking the potential of innovation in the electricity sector through a

greater focus on standards and interoperability (see box 5.1).

3. Empowering consumers and enabling informed decision making with en‐

hanced information to save energy, ensure privacy, and shrink bills.

5 – 4 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                 

             

                   

                   

                 

               

                 

   

                       

                     

               

                   

               

         

                 

                   

                   

               

           

                     

                       

                       

               

               

     

           

                         

       

                       

     

                       

                       

4. Securing the grid from cyber attacks and improving its recoverability in the

event of such an attack.

The Administration is taking a number of concrete steps to put these principles

into action. For example:

●	 The Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utility Service is investing up to $250

million in cost‐effective smart grid technology in rural America by June 2012.

Box 5.1 NIST and the Smart Grid1 

Deploying an interoperable and secure Smart Grid cannot be accomplished

without establishing interoperability standards. To accelerate the development

of these standards, Congress, under the Energy Independence and Security Act

of 2007 (EISA), assigned the National Institute of Standards and Technology

(NIST) the “primary responsibility to coordinate development of a framework

that includes protocols and model standards for information management to

achieve interoperability of Smart Grid devices and systems...” [EISA Title XIII,

Section 1305].

Recent Accomplishments 

The Smart Grid Program has made significant progress in its mission to coordi‐

nate the development of interoperability standards over the course of its his‐

tory. Below is an abbreviated list of recent accomplishments:

● NIST established the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel in November 2009 as

a public‐private partnership to provide technical support and provide an

open forum for Smart Grid stakeholders.

● NIST published the Framework and Roadmap for Smart Grid Interoperability,

an initial list of 75 interoperability standards, in January 2010.

● NIST published Guidelines for Smart Grid Cyber Security in September 2010,

providing the technical background and details that inform organizations’

efforts to securely implement Smart Grid technologies.

● NIST created a Smart Grid Advisory Committee in September 2010 to pro‐

vide input on Smart Grid standards and NIST’s research activities in this area.

● In July 2011, the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel approved the first set of

Smart Grid standards, including standards focused on Internet protocols,

energy usage information, vehicle charging stations, smart meter upgrade‐

ability, and wireless communication devices.

1. For more information go to www.nist.gov/smartgrid/index.cfm.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY	 5 – 5 
 

               

                     

                       

                     

                   

                       

                   

                 

                           

                   

               

             

               

                     

                     

           

                       

                           

                           

                         

                           

                       

                         

                         

                             

               

                   

                         

       

●	 The Administration has also launched Energy.Data.gov, an open government

platform that brings together free high‐value datasets and tools, maps, and

apps to increase awareness of and deepen insights into our nation’s energy

performance.

●	 The Department of Defense, through its “microgrid” initiatives, is working to

test distributed generation and electricity distribution systems that will help

enhance the security and efficiency of military bases both at home and

abroad.

To empower consumers and foster innovation, the Administration will continue

to promote the Green Button challenge to industry—the common‐sense idea

that consumers should be able to get access to and download their own energy

usage information. And finally, the Administration is working to improve the

overall quality and timeliness of electric transmission infrastructure permitting

through the interagency Rapid Response Team for Transmission.

Information Infrastructure

Recent developments in information and communications technology (ICT), such

as high‐speed or broadband Internet access have transformed the social and eco‐

nomic environment in which we live. It provides an outstanding channel for gath‐

ering and disseminating information, entertainment, commerce, and education,

and it can bring substantial benefits to our economy. For example, “electronic

health records could alone save more than $500 billion over 15 years. Much of

the electric grid is not connected to broadband, even though a Smart Grid could

prevent 360 million metric tons of carbon emissions per year by 2030, equivalent

to taking 65 million of today’s cars off the road. Online courses can dramatically

reduce the time required to learn a subject while greatly increasing course com‐

pletion rates.”12

In the United States, 68 percent of households had broadband Internet access in

2010, an almost eight‐fold increase since 2001.13 However, there are still a large

number of Americans who do not use or lack access to the latest broadband and

information technologies; a 68 percent adoption rate still leaves approximately

one‐third of American homes cut off from the digital economy. Furthermore, de‐

spite impressive gains, the United States trails behind a number of other nations

in household‐level broadband adoption14 (see figure 5.1).

5 – 6	 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                   

                 

                       

                       

                 

                         

             

                               

                       

                       

                   

                         

                     

Figure 5.1 

OECD Fixed 

(Wired) Broadband 

Subscriptions per 

100 Inhabitants 

40 

Other 

35 Fibre/LAN 

Cable 

30 DSL 

25 OECD average 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

Netherlands

Switzerland

Denmark

Korea

Norway

France

United Kingdom

Iceland

Germany

Sweden

Luxembourg

Belgium

Canada

United States

Finland

Japan

New Zealand

Austria

Israel

Estonia

Australia

Spain

Slovenia

Italy

Ireland

Greece

Hungary

Portugal

Czech Republic

Slovak Republic

Poland

Chile

Mexico

Turkey 

Source: OECD Broadband Portal, Table 1d, June 2011. 

Moreover, the use of broadband continues to vary substantially across differ‐

ent demographic groups and geographic areas. People with lower household

incomes, people with less education, those with disabilities, as well as Blacks,

Hispanics, and rural residents generally lag in broadband use (see table 5.1).

Bridging these socioeconomic gaps in household‐level broadband connectivity in

the United States is critical to capturing the potential economic and social gains

that accompany more widespread adoption of broadband services.

At least part of these disparities is likely explained by the fact that, in some cases,

particularly in rural parts of the country, broadband is simply not available,15

largely due to the economic challenges faced by commercial providers seeking to

profitably serve large geographic areas that are sparsely populated. The govern‐

ment has sought to address these needs, typically with grant and loan programs

to providers such as the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) at

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 5 – 7 
 

                   

                   

                       

                           

                     

                     

               

                       

                     

                     

                         

                       

                 

                             

         

Table 5.1 

Household 

Computer Use Broadband Access 

Urban Rural Urban Rural 

Computer and All households 78% 70% 70% 57% 

Broadband Use Race and Ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic 82% 72% 75% 60% 

Black, non-Hispanic 66% 53% 57% 41% 

Hispanic 67% 57% 58% 46% 

Household Income 

$25,000 or less 56% 49% 45% 35% 

$25,001–$50,000 76% 74% 67% 60% 

$50,001–$75,000 88% 87% 82% 76% 

$75,001–$100,000 93% 91% 89% 82% 

$100,001 or more 96% 94% 93% 87% 

Education 

Less than a high school degree 46% 39% 35% 26% 

High school degree 68% 64% 59% 50% 

Some college 84% 82% 75% 69% 

College degree or more 93% 89% 88% 80% 

Source: Economics and Statistics Administration and National Telecommunication and Information Administra‐

tion. 2011. Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home. Washington, D.C: U.S. Depart‐

ment of Commerce, November 2011; www.esa.doc.gov/sites/default/files/reports/documents/exploringthe

digitalnation‐computerandinternetuseathome.pdf.

the Department of Commerce, which has been successful in extending broad‐

band to under‐served communities (see box 5.2). Further, the FCC recently re‐

vised its universalservice fund, which traditionally hassubsidized the provision of

basic telephone service to rural and high‐cost areas, so that it will begin to sup‐

port broadband service by commercial providers in those areas.16 The lessons

from these policy efforts should prove instructive as public and private stakehold‐

ers continue to bring broadband to more Americans.

Broadband also can be provided wirelessly, and the rapid growth of mobile com‐

munications clearly shows how important this technology has become to the

American way of life. Wireless broadband, like wired broadband, has the poten‐

tial to transform many different areas of the American economy by providing a

platform for new innovation. The spread of wireless broadband will increase the

5 – 8 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                 

                       

               

                 

                 

                 

         

                       

                     

       

                   

                   

                   

                 

           

       

           

                 

                     

                   

                   

               

                 

               

         

                           

                     

         

                 

                         

                   

                             

                   

                       

               

                 

                     

                       

Box 5.2 Broadband Technology Opportunities Program 

The Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) was created as part

of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) with the purpose of in‐

creasing broadband access and adoption in unserved and underserved areas;

providing broadband training and support to schools, libraries, healthcare pro‐

viders, and other organizations; improving broadband access to public safety

agencies; and stimulating demand for broadband. The Department of Com‐

merce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)

administers the BTOP program1 and has invested $4 billion in 233 BTOP projects

throughout all U.S. states, territories and the District of Columbia. Funds are

awarded in three categories:

● Infrastructure. $3.5 billion to 123 projects for the construction of broad‐

band networks

● Public Computer Centers. $201 million to 66 projects that will provide

access to broadband, computer equipment and training to the public and

vulnerable populations

● Sustainable Broadband Adoption. $251 million to 44 projects that pro‐

mote broadband adoption, especially among vulnerable populations

Examples of BTOP projects include: 2

The University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID),

also known as Internet2, began upgrading its advanced middle‐mile backbone

network in March 2011. This upgraded network will extend across 50 states

and will enable high‐speed broadband connectivity for up to 121,000 addi‐

tional community anchor institutions such as schools and libraries. This large‐

scale, public‐private partnership will interconnect more than 30 existing re‐

search and education networks, creating a dedicated fiber‐optic backbone that

will enable advanced broadband capabilities such as video multicasting, tele‐

medicine, distance learning, and other life‐changing Internet‐based applica‐

tions. As of July 2011, more than 4,828 miles of its proposed 16,312 mile fiber

network has been upgraded and activated with the entire network expected to

be completed by early 2013.

The State Library of Louisiana’s BTOP project, “Louisiana Libraries: Connect‐

ing People to Their Potential,” has held more than 1,200 free digital literacy and

software classes and supplied 640 laptop computers to libraries throughout the

state by the end of 2011. The primary goal is to promote broadband use so that

citizens may become comfortable and familiar with this technology. The State

Library also seeks to improve the workforce skills of Louisiana citizens and pro‐

vide a solid economic foundation for strengthening Louisiana communities.

1. U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration 2010,

Expanding Broadband Access and Adoption in Communities Across America‐Overview of Grant Awards;

www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/ntia_report_on_btop_12142010_0.pdf.

2. Additional BTOP projects and grants awarded, by state, can be found at www2.ntia.doc.gov/.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 5 – 9
 
 

                           

                         

                 

                 

                     

                     

                   

                     

               

               

                 

                   

                   

                     

                 

                     

                             

                       

                           

                           

                   

               

                       

                         

                         

                           

                   

                         

                       

                   

                     

                           

                   

                     

                       

rate of growth in per capita income and will spur economic activity through new

business investment. There is the potential for many new high‐quality jobs to be

created, both directly through investments in wireless infrastructure, and indi‐

rectly through as yet unanticipated applications, services and more rapid innova‐

tion enabled by advanced wireless platforms. Although these effects are difficult

to quantify precisely, evidence from the economics literature suggests that they

are likely to be substantial. Areas where innovations using wireless technologies

are likely to have significant effects include consumer products and services;

products to enhance business productivity, including business process re‐engi‐

neering; health care, through products like patient‐physician video conferencing,

personal handheld biosensors to generate diagnostic information, and remote

transmission of diagnostic information and images; education; and public safety,

where a nationwide interoperable wireless broadband network for public safety

will ensure that first‐responders have real‐time access to critical information in

an emergency.

The spectrum necessary for wireless communications, including broadband, has

thus become an important resource to be integrated into the ICT infrastructure.

Thus, a sensible policy for managing this spectrum is crucial if the United States is

to improve its competitive position. The supply of spectrum is limited, however,

and the rapid growth in demand driven by the high data consumption of smart

phones and other mobile devices could result in a “spectrum crunch” in three to

five years, severely inhibiting the development of next generation high‐speed

wireless technologies. Techniques such as improvements in spectral efficiency, in‐

creases in network density through cell site construction, and offloading traffic to

wireline networks will not be sufficient to allow capacity to keep up with de‐

mand. In other words, wireless carriers will not be able to accommodate this

surging demand without access to additional parts of the spectrum. It is vital that

the government continue to address these spectrum challenges by reallocating

spectrum from existing to more efficient uses.18 One aspect of this reallocation is

having Congress authorize the FCC to use auctions to reallocate spectrum from

TV broadcasters to wireless broadband providers. This can also involve further

research and development of technologies that enable more efficient use of

spectrum.19

ICT also allows firms to collect huge amounts of data about their operations and

use these data to improve productivity and increase innovation.20 Big data—de‐

fined as “the large datasets generated from every customer interaction, every

wired object, and every social network”21— as well as scientific and surveillance

5 – 10 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                       

                       

                           

                         

                         

               

                         

               

                       

                   

                         

                   

                   

                       

                   

                             

                       

                           

                         

                       

           

                         

                     

                     

                         

                   

                               

               

                     

                         

             

                           

                       

                       

                           

                       

data, such as weather data from satellites, have the potential to provide informa‐

tion to improve greatly the efficacy of businesses, governments, health care and

education.22 The production of global data is expected to grow at an annual rate

of 40 percent, providing a treasure trove to businesses and industry sectors that

can effectively use these data to create new business models, new products and

services, improve marketing strategies, and gain a competitive advantage.23 Re‐

search has shown that firms that make effective use of these large datasets im‐

prove their productivity by 5 or 6 percent.24

However, to take advantage of these data capabilities, firms need access to

broadband Internet networks with sufficient capacity to collect and distribute

this information quickly and efficiently. They also need to have access to various

computing resources such as servers, storage, applications, and services. These

services increasingly are being made available through cloud computing, which

provide companies with convenient, on‐demand access to a shared pool of these

necessary resources. With cloud computing, innovators and small businesses can

offer new products and services to a global market with a very low investment of

upfront resources, enabling them to compete with much larger providers. A final,

closely related element of a sound ICT policy is an open Internet, one that pro‐

tects consumers and innovators. Innovators need to be able to compete on their

merits and not face anticompetitive barriers. Internet privacy is also crucial, and

cybersecurity concerns need to be addressed.25

President Obama has pledged to preserve the free and open nature of the Inter‐

net to encourage innovation, protect consumer choice, and defend free speech.

The Administration has created an Internet Policy Task Force to bring together in‐

dustry, consumer groups, and policy experts to identify ways of ensuring that the

Internet remains a reliable and trustworthy resource for consumers and busi‐

nesses and hasrecently called for an Online Privacy Bill of Rights. In July 2011, the

Obama Administration joined with representatives from business, civil society,

and Internet technical communitiesfrom 34 countriesto reaffirm the importance

of Internet policy principles that have enabled the open Internet to flourish with

innovation and human connections beyond our wildest expectations.

Americans deserve an Internet that is safe and secure, so they can shop, bank,

communicate, and learn online without fear their accounts will be hacked or

their identities stolen. President Obama has declared that the “cyber threat is

one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a

nation” and that “America's economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 5 – 11 
 

                       

                         

                   

                   

                             

                   

     

                   

                   

                     

                   

                 

                 

           

                         

                             

                     

                     

                     

                   

                   

                     

                     

                 

                             

                 

                   

     

           

                     

                         

               

on cybersecurity.” To help the country meet this challenge and to ensure the In‐

ternet can continue as an engine of growth and prosperity, the Administration is

implementing the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace. The Ad‐

ministration also released the International Strategy for Cyberspace to promote

the free flow of information, the security and privacy of data, and the integrity of

the interconnected networks, which are all essential to American and global eco‐

nomic prosperity and security.

The Obama Administration has made cybersecurity at Federal departments and

agencies a priority and it is moving forward on the government’s implementation

of the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA). In addition, the

Obama Administration is working on the development of the National Initiative

for Cybersecurity Education, which will establish an operational, sustainable, and

continually improving public cybersecurity education program to promote sound

cyber practices within the United States.

Satellites

An increasingly important part of the infrastructure of the United States can be

found orbiting the earth in the form of our satellite system. Satellites are used for

many crucial tasks, such as improving weather forecasting so that businesses

have the most reliable and up‐to‐date information for planning purposes. To

meet these goals, the Administration is acquiring and operating the satellites

needed to support weather forecasting, climate monitoring, and ocean and

coastal observations. The Administration also plans to launch a new generation

of global positioning satellites and services in order to implement advanced

navigation and timing applications that can support innovation in many sectors,

including agriculture, communications, air travel, and highway safety.26 For exam‐

ple, as discussed below, global positioning satellites will be a key part of a new,

Next Generation (NextGen) air traffic control system. Finally, the Administration

is committed to maintaining international partnerships to further improve on our

capabilities in these areas.27

Ensuring the United States’ 21st Century Infrastructure

is Sound

Our nation faces significant challenges in rebuilding its infrastructure and wise in‐

vestments in these areas have to be made. Below are several specific policy pro‐

posals that will address the problems discussed above.

5 – 12 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

         

                       

                         

                           

                           

                       

                         

                 

                 

                     

                         

                         

                           

                 

                           

   

                   

                     

                       

                     

                 

                           

                       

                   

                         

                     

                     

                         

                     

                     

                       

NextGen Air Traffic Control System

Since there are often constraints on increasing the number of airports and run‐

ways, another way to increase the capacity of the existing physical air traffic infra‐

structure is by making it more efficient; that is, by increasing the number of

flights that can be handled on existing runways. This can be achieved through the

adoption of the NextGen air traffic control system, a comprehensive overhaul of

the existing system.28 The currentsystem is based on radar, whereas NextGen will

employ global positioning systems and new ground‐based and airborne technol‐

ogies to deliver new communications, navigation, surveillance, and information

management capabilities. As a result of this more accurate information, NextGen

will allow more aircrafts to fly safely closer together on more direct routes, re‐

ducing fuel usage, noise, and flight and ground delays by 35 percent. This reduc‐

tion in delays will translate to $23 billion in cumulative benefits to the Federal

Aviation Administration, airlines, and travelers. In addition, aviation fuel usage

would decline by 1.4 billion gallons and carbon dioxide emissions would fall by 14

million tons.29

While NextGen’s overall benefits are compelling, adoption of NextGen faces sig‐

nificant hurdles, such as the merging of varying technologies and interfaces,

maintaining and retaining a skilled FAA workforce, and keeping to the current

rollout schedule given the current budget climate. FAA authorization has been

temporarily extended 22 times since the previous long‐term FAA authorization

expired in 2007. The current extension is set to expire on January 31, 2012.30

Wireless Communications

The Obama Administration has made it a priority to improve the wireless broad‐

band infrastructure in the United States. A “National Wireless Initiative” was an‐

nounced in February 2011 with the stated goals of doubling the amount of

spectrum available for wireless broadband services and helping rural areas gain

access to wireless broadband services through reform of the FCC Universal

Service Fund so that it focuses more on wireless service rather than traditional

phone service.

Cloud Computing

Various initiatives are underway to help companies process large amounts of

data through cloud computing. For example, NSF has been working with Micro‐

soft to provide free access to Microsoft’s cloud products to researchers who

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 5 – 13 
 

                       

                         

                       

                       

             

   

                   

                         

           

                         

                     

                       

                       

               

                         

                 

                   

                       

       

           

                   

                   

             

                   

                       

                     

                       

       

                     

                         

                         

either want to investigate further the possible ways in which cloud computing

can be used or have projects related to biotechnology or other industries that re‐

quire large amounts of data storage. NASA has created a cloud computing plat‐

form called “Nebula” that allows NASA scientists to share large, complex data

sets with research partners and the general public.

Open Innovation Strategy

Data is a critical component in information technology and the Administration’s

open innovation strategy is meant to increase access to data to help spur innova‐

tion. This strategy incorporates four major components:

●	 Improve Access to Government Data. On his first full day in office, President

Obama signed a memorandum on transparency and open government. Part of

this initiative was the launch of data.gov, a platform that provides public

access to high value, machine readable datasets, now numbering in excess of

390,000.

●	 Encourage Market Transparency. A transparent “marketplace” will lower bar‐

riers to entry and unleash the creativity of entrepreneurs to compete in the

development of new consumer‐oriented products and services. The Obama

Administration is working with the health, energy, and education sectors

(among others) to simplify access to high value data by, for example, encour‐

aging the creation of standards.

●	 Cultivate Innovation Communities. Bringing together communities of innova‐

tors will help spur innovation. To support these communities, the Administra‐

tion has partnered with organizations to inspire participation in innovative

activities through the use of challenges and prizes.

●	 Create Capacity for Innovation. To manage these policy tools, the Administra‐

tion has actively recruited a group of technology and innovation leaders with

direct reporting relationships to the Cabinet Secretaries. In turn, these leaders

are recruiting three to five person “innovation teams” to tackle an identified

problem with rapid results.

One example of the implementation of this strategy is HealthCare.gov, which

launched on July 1, 2010. Its marquee attraction, the Insurance Finder, asks the

user a few simple questions and then produces a customized menu of insurance

5 – 14 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                         

                     

                   

                         

                   

                     

                       

                         

                         

choices that draws from a huge inventory of offerings from over 1,000 insurance

companies and every major public health coverage program in the country.

Smart Grids

As mentioned above, the Federal government recently released a policy frame‐

work to help promote investment, innovation, and job growth in the area of

Smart Grids. The main elements of thisframework include enabling cost‐effective

Smart Grid Investments; ensuring that there are appropriate standards in place

so that grids can interconnect with each other; giving consumers the information

needed to save energy; and ensuring that Smart Grids are protected from cyber

attacks and, in the event of such an attack, the systems can quickly recover.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 5 – 15 
 

       

         

             

                       

         

           

           

             

         

                   

                                                                                                                                       

                         

                             

         

                                                                       

             

                           

                 

       

           

       

             

         

               

               

                       

         

           

   

                                 

   

                               

             

                           

     

                                         

Endnotes
 

References
 

1. Katz and Puentes 2008.

2. Federal Communications Commission 2011a, 25.

3. Pélissié du Rausas et al. 2011, 2.

4. Pélissié du Rausas et al. 2011, 2.

5. Pélissié du Rausas et al. 2011, 3.

6. Pélissié du Rausas et al. 2011, 3.

7. For a discussion of these concepts, see Appendix 2 in chapter 3.

8. Edison Electric Institute 2011, 6.

9. U.S. Department of Energy 2010.

10. Council on Environmental Quality 2011.

11. National Science and Technology Council 2011.

12. Federal Communications Commission 2011a, 20.

13. Economics and Statistics Administration and National Telecommunications and Information Administration

2011, 1.

14. Household adoption is but one measure of how broadband contributes to a country’s productivity. According

to a study that takes account of a wider array of factors, such as use of broadband by businesses and use of com‐ plementary technologies, the United States makes much more productive use of broadband than almost every

other country in the world. See Council of Economic Advisers 2011, 67 and Waverman, et al. 2011.

15. The National Broadband Map, a creation of the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications

and Information Administration (NTIA), depicts broadband availability for every community in the country; go to

broadbandmap.gov.

16. Federal Communications Commission 2011b.

17. Among other projects, the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture invested about $7 billion in broad‐ band projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. For more information, see BroadbandUSA at

www2.ntia.doc.gov and Broadband Initiatives Program at www.rurdev.usda.gov/utp_bip.html.

18. National Telecommunications and Information Administration 2011.

19. For example, the Wireless Spectrum R&D (WSRD) Senior Steering Group coordinates spectrum‐related R&D

activities across the Federal government; for more information, see www.nitrd.gov/subcommittee/wireless

spectrumrd.aspx

20. Brown et al. 2011.

21. Manyika and Roxburgh 2011, 6.

22. Manyika et al. 2011.

23. Manyika et al. 2011, 4–6 and 16.

24. Brynjolfsson et al. 2011, 1.

25. National Economic Council, A Strategy for American Innovation, 24.

26. National Economic Council, A Strategy for American Innovation, 28.

27. White House, National Space Policy of the United States of America 2010, 12.

28. Federal Aviation Administration 2011.

29. Federal Aviation Administration 2011, 5.

30. Reilly 2011.

Brown, Brad, Michael Chui, and James Manyika. 2011 “Are You Ready for the Era of Big Data.” McKinsey Quar‐

terly (October): 5–13.

Brynjolfsson, Erik, Lorin M. Hitt, and Heekyung Hellen Kim. 2011. “Strength in Numbers: How Does Data‐Driven

Decisionmaking Affect Firm Performance?” Working Paper Series. (April):1–28; papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.

cfm?abstract_id=1819486.

Council of Economic Advisers. 2011. The Economic Report of the President. Washington, DC: U.S. Government

Printing Office, February.

Council on Environmental Quality. 2011. “Administration Announces Grid Modernization Initiatives to Foster a

Clean Energy Economy and Spur Innovation.” Press Release; www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/

Press_Releases/June_013_2011.

5 – 16 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                 

                           

   

                         

     

                 

       

             

   

                   

     

                                   

                             

             

                             

                           

                                                       

                               

                   

                     

           

                               

                             

                       

             

                               

                 

                         

         

                           

Economics and Statistics Administration and National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

2011. Exploring the Digital Nation: Computer and Internet Use at Home. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of

Commerce, November; www.esa.doc.gov/sites/default/files/reports/documents/exploringthedigitalnation‐

computerandinternetuseathome.pdf.

Edison Electric Institute. 2011. “Electric Utilities: The Power of Opportunities.” 2011 Wall Street Briefing (Febru‐

ary 9): 1–9; www.eei.org/ourissues/finance/Documents/Wall_Street_Briefing_2011.pdf.

Federal Aviation Administration. 2011. NextGen Implementation Plan. Washington, DC: NextGen Integration and

Implementation Office, March: 5; www.faa.gov/nextgen/media/ng2011_implementation_plan.pdf.

Federal Communications Commission. 2011a. Connecting America: The National Broadband Plan. Washington,

DC: March; download.broadband.gov/plan/national‐broadband‐plan‐chapter‐1‐introduction.pdf.

Federal Communications Commission. 2011b. Connect America Fund & Intercarrier Compensation Reform Order

and FNPRM. Washington, DC: October; e‐ratecentral.com/archive/Bulletins/2011_10_27.pdf.

Katz, Bruce, and Robert Puentes. 2008. “America’s Infrastructure: Ramping Up or Crashing Down.” Washington,

DC: The Brookings Institution, January; www.brookings.edu/papers/2008/01_infrastructure_katz_puentes.aspx.

Manyika, James and Charles Roxburgh. 2011. The Great Transformer: The Impact of the Internet on Economic

Growth and Prosperity. McKinsey Global Institute. October; www.mckinsey.com/Insights/MGI/Research/

Technology_and_Innovation/The_great_transformer.

Manyika, James, Michael Chui, Jacques Bughin, Brad Brown, Richard Dobbs, Charles Roxburgh, and Angela Hung

Byers. 2011. Big Data: The Next Frontier for Innovation, Competition, and Productivity. McKinsey Global Institute.

May; www.mckinsey.com/Insights/MGI/Research/Technology_and_Innovation/Big_data_The_next_

frontier_for_innovation.

National Economic Council, Council of Economic Advisers, and Office of Science and Technology Policy. 2011. A

Strategy for American Innovation: Securing Our Economic Growth and Prosperity. Washington, DC, February;

www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/InnovationStrategy.pdf.

National Science and Technology Council. 2011. A Policy Framework for the 21st Century Grid: Enabling Our

Secure Energy Future. Washington, DC: Executive Office of the President, June; www.whitehouse.gov/sites/de‐

fault /files/microsites/ostp/nstc‐smart‐grid‐june2011.pdf.

National Telecommunications and Information Administration. 2011. Second Interim Progress Report on the Ten‐

Year Plan and Timetable. Washington, DC: October; www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/second_interim_

progress_report_on_the_ten_year_plan_and_timetable.pdf.

Pélissié du Rausas, Matthieu, James Manyika, Eric Hazan, Jacques Bughin, Michael Chui, and Rémi Said. 2011.

Internet Matters: The Net’s Sweeping Impact on Growth, Jobs and Prosperity. McKinsey Global Institute. May;

www.mckinsey.com/Insights/MGI/Research/Technology_and_Innovation/Internet_matters.

Reilly, Sean. 2011. “Congress Extends Funding for FAA through January, Prevents Furloughs,” Federal Times, up‐

dated September 16. Accessed December 4, 2011; www.federaltimes.com/article/20110916/AGENCY02/

109160302/.

U.S. Department of Energy. 2010. “Statement of Secretary Steven Chu Before the Senate Committee on Energy

and Natural Resources FY 2011 Budget Hearing.” February 4; energy.gov/sites/prod/files/ciprod/documents/2‐4‐ 10_Final_Testimony_%28Chu%29.pdf.

Waverman, Leonard, Kalyan Dasgupts, and Janne Rajala. 2011. Connectivity Scorecard 2011. Report. Emeryville,

CA: Berkeley Research Group. May; www.connectivityscorecard.org/images/uploads/media TheConnectivity

Report2011.pdf.

White House. 2010. “National Space Policy of the United States of America.” June 28; www.whitehouse.gov/

sites/default/files/national_space_policy_6–28‐10.pdf.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 5 – 17 

 

           

             

                 

                         

                     

                   

                     

             

                     

                         

                   

                         

                       

                     

           

                   

                     

                             

                       

                         

                     

   

                         

                       

                             

                       

                           

                           

                         

                         

Revitalizing

Manufacturing

“Build it here. Sell it everywhere.”

— John E. Bryson, Secretary of Commerce, December 15, 2011

A Strong Manufacturing Sector is Uniquely Important to the

U.S. Economy

A flourishing manufacturing sector in the United States is crucial to its future

competitive strength. Throughout its history, manufacturing has been a source of

prosperity, innovation, and pride for the United States. Manufacturing pays

higher than average wages, provides the bulk of U.S. exports, contributes sub‐

stantially to U.S. R&D, and protects national security.

Manufacturing remains a vital part of the U.S. economy. In 2009, manufacturing

made up 11.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP)1 and 9.1 percent of total

U.S. employment,2 directly employing almost 12 million workers. This sector also

has indirect employment effects on other sectors of the U.S. economy when it

purchases inputs for production such as raw materials (such as from the agricul‐

tural and mining sectors), buildings (from the construction and real estate sec‐

tors), and services (including warehousing and transportation; professional,

scientific, and technical services; and financial services). In these ways, manufac‐

turing supports millions of additional supply chain jobs across the economy.

In addition, many of the jobs provided by this sector are high quality. Total hourly

compensation in the manufacturing sector is, on average, 22 percent higher than

that in the services sector and about 91 percent of factory workers have em‐

ployer‐provided benefits compared to about 71 percent of workers across all pri‐

vate sector firms.3

Manufacturing is also the largest contributor to U.S. exports. In 2010, the United

States exported over $1.1 trillion of manufactured goods, which accounted for 86

percent of all U.S. goods exports and 60 percent of U.S. total exports (see figure

6.1). In order to support millions more jobs, President Obama’s National Export

Initiative set the ambitious goal of doubling U.S. exports by the end of 2014.

Moreover, the United States runs a trade surplus in the services sector, a surplus

that has tripled since 20034; however, though the services sector will continue to

be important, increases in services alone will not likely double U.S. exports by

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 6 – 1 
 

 

 

                       

         

                     

                       

                       

                         

                     

                 

               

                       

                   

                           

                     

                         

               

Figure 6.1 

U.S. Exports 

by Sector, 

Share of Total, 

1991–2010 

Manufacturing 

Services 

70% 

60% 

50% 

40% 

30% 

20% 

10% 

0% 

1999 2000 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 2010 

Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis and Census, U.S. International Trade in Goods and 

Services; excluding Agriculture and Non-agriculture/Non-Manufacturing goods. 

2014. Indeed, without a strong manufacturing sector, the U.S. trade surplus in

services may erode (see box 6.1).

A strong manufacturing sector is also crucial because successful innovation in

many sectors is closely linked to the ability to manufacture products as innova‐

tive methods and ideas are generated and perfected through the process of mak‐

ing things. In the recent Report to the President on Ensuring American Leadership

in Advanced Manufacturing,5 the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and

Technology (PCAST) and the President’s Innovation and Technology Advisory

Committee (PITAC) emphasize the critical importance of advanced manufacturing

in driving knowledge production and innovation in the United States. The PCAST

researched the current state of manufacturing and concluded that U.S. leader‐

ship in manufacturing is declining and that this is detrimental to the well‐being of

the nation overall. Manufacturing companies in the United States are responsible

for over two‐thirds of the industrial R&D6 and employ the majority of domestic

scientists and engineers.7 Furthermore, manufacturing R&D is the dominant

6 – 2 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                 

   

                     

                         

                   

                   

                     

                           

                   

                     

                   

                       

               

                           

                   

                     

                   

                     

       

                       

                             

                       

                   

                     

                   

             

                       

                     

                   

       

                           

           

Box 6.1 Tradable Sectors: A Source of Good Jobs 

Manufacturing is generally a “tradable” sector; that is, an activity that can be

“transacted across distances” thus making it vulnerable to import competition.

Since the jobs in manufacturing generally pay well, the loss of these jobs due to

import competition can have severe negative effects on the well‐being of the

U.S. workforce.

Service activities at one time were not considered tradable, but some service

industries have become an important and expanding component of U.S. trade.

Tradable service jobs are also high‐quality, with higher education and wage lev‐

els than jobs in non‐tradable services. 1

Given the recent decline in U.S. manufacturing, in part due to off‐shoring, a

concern is whether this will happen to the service sector. In fact, it could be ar‐

gued that many of the current tradable services exist because various firms had

a strong manufacturing capability that also provided a source of highly‐trained

engineers and technical staff that could export these services. Without a core

manufacturing capability feeding that engineering base it could be argued that

long‐term growth in tradable services is not sustainable.

On the other hand, rather than lose jobs, the comparative advantage of the

United States in high‐skill, high‐wage service jobs such as engineering and busi‐

ness services points to potential opportunities to expand services exports and

increase jobs in these areas.

1. Jensen, J. Bradford. August 2011. “Global Trade in Services: Fear, Facts, and Offshoring.” Peterson In‐

stitute for International Economics, Washington, DC. bookstore.piie.com/book‐store//6017.html.

source of innovative new service‐sector technologies,8 hence its benefits reach

beyond the manufacturing arena.

The colocation of manufacturing, research, and other sectors can also be impor‐

tant. In its recent report the PCAST states: “Proximity is important in fostering in‐

novation. When different aspects of manufacturing—from R&D to production to

customer delivery—are located in the same region, they breed efficiencies in

knowledge transfer that allow new technologies to develop and businesses to in‐

novate.”9 Thus, even if R&D facilities are kept in the United States, the relocation

of manufacturing facilities overseas may limit the United States’ ability to inno‐

vate.

Finally, an innovative and secure domestic manufacturing base is critical to

national security. An inability to produce domestically the advanced defense

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 6 – 3 
 

                         

                             

                     

                     

                             

                 

                     

       

                 

                       

                     

                     

                             

Figure 6.2 

Manufacturing 

Value Added as a 

Percentage of GDP, 

1957–2010 

systems of the modern military would put the national security of the United

States at risk. Asits military comes to rely more heavily on complex and advanced

technology systems, it is important that the United States retain the manufactur‐

ing capacity and knowledge necessary to produce these goods. Our continued se‐

curity not only rests on the ability to produce military products, but we must also

consider how the sourcing of all critical infrastructure components, from commu‐

nications equipment to power generation, affects our ability to protect against

potentially catastrophic supply chain disruptions.

The Current State of U.S. Manufacturing: A Crossroads for

American Competitiveness

While manufacturing continues to play a vital role in the U.S. economy and pro‐

vides millions of American jobs, the U.S. manufacturing sector has faced signifi‐

cant challenges in recent decades. As a fraction of U.S. GDP, manufacturing

declined from 27 percent in 1957 to about 11 percent by 200910 (see figure 6.2).

30 

25 

20 

15 

10 

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 

Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Gross Domestic Product-by-Industry Data 

2010 

5 

6 – 4 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

 

 

                   

                 

                         

                 

                     

                     

                         

             

                   

                         

                       

                     

                         

                           

                       

Figure 6.3 

High-Tech 

Manufacturing 

Production Versus 

Manufacturing 

Production 

Excluding 

High-Tech, 

1980–2010 

Since 2000, increases in the manufacturing of high tech equipment (semiconduc‐

tors and related components, computers, and communications equipment) have

hidden a slight decline in output of all other manufacturing sectors (see figure

6.3).11 Manufacturing employment has seen dramatic declines; in the last decade

alone, employment levels in manufacturing have declined by about a third (see

figure 6.4), and the impact of this decline in manufacturing employment has

been felt in many states across the country, with several states experiencing near

collapse of their manufacturing sectors (see figure 6.5).

The reasons for the decline in manufacturing employment are varied and com‐

plex; the manufacturing sector is not monolithic and the reasons for the decline

vary industry by industry. However,some common themes can be discerned. One

likely factor is the large improvement in productivity in manufacturing. Between

1987 and 2010, labor productivity in manufacturing rose at a 3.4 percent annual

rate, almost 50 percent higher than the 2.3 percent annual rate in the entire non‐

farm business sector.12 Though this increased productivity is critical in terms of

Manufacturing Excluding High-Tech 

High-tech 

140
 

120
 

100
 

80
 

60
 

40
 

20
 

0
 

1980 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 2000 02 04 06 08 2010
 

Source: Federal Reserve and Haver Analytics
 

Note: 2007=100, Indexed.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 6 – 5
 
 

 

Figure 6.4 

Manufacturing 

Employment, 

(Thousands) 

1990–2010 

Figure 6.5 

Percent Change in 

Manufacturing 

Employment, 

1990–2007 

19,000 

18,000 

17,000 

16,000 

15,000 

14,000 

13,000 

12,000 

11,000 

10,000 

1990 92 94 96 98 2000 02 04 06 08 10 

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Nonfarm payrolls 

24–77% decrease 

0–24% decrease 

20–110% increase 

0–20% increase 

Note: Percent Change in Manufacturing Employment by state, 1990 (first year of data) to 2007. 

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economics and Statistics Administration calculations. 

6 – 6 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                     

                         

                         

                   

                             

                         

                     

                       

                     

                         

   

                     

                   

                           

                       

                           

                     

                         

                     

                       

                   

                     

                   

                           

                         

                       

                     

                       

                     

                     

                         

         

                         

                       

                   

maintaining the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector, it also has meant

that companies can now do the same work with fewer workers and partially ex‐

plains the drop in employment over the past two decades. However, given that

employment in manufacturing held relatively steady during the 1990s while pro‐

ductivity was still high, other factors must also play a role in the decline of manu‐

facturing since 2000. Further, a large portion of the overall gains in productivity

are attributable to the production of computer and electronics products, so pro‐

ductivity gains are less likely to explain employment declines in other industries.

In addition, this overall improvement in productivity may be slightly overstated

due to the fact that low‐cost foreign inputs are not adequately captured in exist‐

ing price indices.13

Another factor in the employment losses, particularly in some less efficient in‐

dustries, is greater competition from low‐wage countries, leading to the off‐shor‐

ing of low‐skilled jobs to lower cost locations. For example, one study has shown

that between one‐quarter to more than one‐half of the lost manufacturing jobs

in the 2000s was the result of import competition from China.14 While there has

been an overall decline in manufacturing employment, as stated above, there is

evidence that the extent to which employment has fallen varies according to the

amount of competition an industry faces from imports from low‐wage countries.

In fact, between 1972 and 2001, industries that faced the most import competi‐

tion from low‐wage countries saw an average decade‐long decline in employ‐

ment of 12.8 percent, while industries that faced little low‐wage import

competition saw an increase in average decade‐long employment of 2.3 per‐

cent.15

While much has been written about the decline in jobs for unskilled labor within

traditional manufacturing, this is only part of the story. The United States is also

losing ground in the manufacture of high‐tech goods that require skilled labor

(see figure 6.6). PCAST notes, the United States has “not simply lost low‐value

jobs, such as assembly, in the high‐tech sector, but also sophisticated engineering

and advanced manufacturing activities.”16 This could be due to various factors;

other countries may have relatively more skilled labor, may produce higher qual‐

ity products, or have better customer service. The relative strength of the U.S.

dollar can also play a role.

While some might suggest that an advanced country, such as the United States,

will inevitably lose manufacturing share as the country shifts towards a more

services‐oriented economy, this is not a foregone conclusion. As the Economic

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 6 – 7 
 

 

 

                   

                               

                     

                       

                 

                   

               

                     

                 

                         

                   

                 

                     

                             

���� 

�� 

��� 

���� 

���� 

���� 

Figure 6.6 ���� 

Trade Balance of 

High-Tech Goods, 

1995–2008 

����� 

China 

����� 

������ 

EU 

United States 

�������� �������������� �������� �������������� �������� �� �� 

�������������������������������������������������������������������������
 

�������������� of��������
 

Report of the President notes, “experience from other high‐income countries

shows that a shift in the world share of exported goods does not mean a shift en‐

tirely out of manufacturing and into a service‐only economy. Germany, the sec‐

ond place goods exporter, maintains a substantial share of manufacturing in its

economy and exports many of these products...manufacturing, especially of com‐

plex products, continues to play a substantial role in advanced economies.”17

Economic Rationales for Federal Government Support for U.S.

Manufacturing

An overarching U. S. manufacturing innovation policy should invest to overcome

market failures and to ensure technology‐based enterprises have the infrastruc‐

ture needed to be successful. The Federal government can help facilitate this by

supporting research programs in new technologies; supporting the creation and

dissemination of powerful design methodologies that dramatically expand the

ability of entrepreneurs to design products and processes which any given

entrepreneur may not have the incentive to invest in on its own; and investing in

6 – 8 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                   

                     

                           

                         

                         

                         

               

                     

               

                       

                   

               

                           

                     

                     

                         

           

                           

                     

                     

                       

                     

           

       

                           

                       

                   

                   

shared technology infrastructure that would help U.S. companies improve their

manufacturing.

The manufactured goods market is global and companies from more and more

countries are participating. It is not an option or desired outcome for the United

States to close its borders to goods produced abroad; however, we must be con‐

scious of the impacts that our government’s actions and those of our trading

partners have on the competitiveness of this sector. (The ways in which foreign

governments support industry are discussed more in Chapter 7).

The Federal government has historically played an important supportive role in

the manufacturing sector. As A Framework for Revitalizing American Manufactur‐

ing noted, “the key to success (in manufacturing) lies in American workers, busi‐

nesses, and entrepreneurs—but the federal government can play a supportive

role in providing a new foundation for American manufacturing.”18

Just as there is no single explanation for why manufacturing has declined in the

United States, no one policy prescription will reverse the decline. Successful man‐

ufacturing policy actions must reflect the diversity of the manufacturing sector

while not creating an industrial policy that inefficiently seeks to pick winners and

losers.

Longstanding Federal Government Support for U.S.

Manufacturing

Trade Policies

The United States worksto open markets for U.S. goods and servicesthrough free

trade agreements and other activities. The Federal government also takes steps

to enforce existing trade rules within the World Trade Organization framework.

Unfair foreign pricing and government subsidies distort the free flow of goods

and adversely affect some American businesses in the global marketplace. Free

trade must be premised on fair trade.

Investments in Research and Development Infrastructure

As noted in Chapter 3, Federal support for R&D provides a vital and necessary

public good that individual private companies may be unwilling or unable to

undertake. Federal support for R&D, particularly support for long‐term basic

research, has helped the advancement of important innovative technologies that

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 6 – 9 
 

                       

                           

                   

                   

                   

     

                     

                         

                     

                           

                         

                       

                         

                     

                   

               

                     

                       

                   

                     

                       

             

                       

                     

                 

               

                 

                     

             

                                               

                     

           

have then spawned many successful companies and even entire industries (for an

example, see box 6.2). In their Report to the President, PCAST notes, “The Federal

Government has historically made visionary investments that have facilitated the

birth of new technology‐based industries and strengthened the development of

existing industries. These investments have paid enormous financial and social

returns to the Nation.”19

The Federal government supports R&D through agencies such as NSF, DARPA,

NIST, and the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (see box

6.3 for a detailed description of NIST’s manufacturing‐related activities and see

box 6.4 for an example of a company that has benefitted from multiple Federal

programs).

The Federal government also has played a role by helping to fund large‐scale re‐

search labs as part of public‐private partnerships. As noted by a recent PCAST re‐

port, in the past the Federal government “funded in part the major corporate

laboratories that laid the foundations for the U.S. economic leadership and inno‐

Box 6.2 A123 Systems: Supporting the Future of the Auto Industry 

In 2001 Professor Yet‐Ming Chiang of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

co‐founded A123 Systems, a producer of rechargeable lithium‐ion batteries

that power hybrid and electric vehicles and other technologies. The firm’s foun‐

dation was enabled by a Small Business Innovation Research grant from the De‐

partment of Energy. The firm subsequently raised more than $300 million in

capital from investors like Sequoia Capital and corporations like GE and Motor‐

ola. It also received a $5 million loan from the Massachusetts Clean Energy

Center. 1 It went public in September 2009.

In February 2010, it embarked on a $6.0 million research program, with funding

from the NIST Technology Innovation Program (TIP), to develop a new nano‐

composite material for lithium ion battery electrodes together with improved

manufacturing process technologies to enable both significantly improved bat‐

tery performance and lower manufacturing costs. With help from the Depart‐

ment of Energy it opened a manufacturing plant in Michigan in September

2010. 2 Today A123 Systems employs approximately 1,700 people.

1. National Economic Council and the Office of Science and Technology Policy. A Strategy for American

Innovation: Securing Our Economic Growth and Prosperity. February 2011, 58. www.whitehouse.gov/

sites/default/files/uploads/InnovationStrategy.pdf.

2. The Science Coalition, Sparking Economic Growth: How federally funded university research creates

innovation, new companies and jobs. April 2010, 35. www.sciencecoalition.org/successstories/

resources/pdf/Sparking%20Economic%20Growth%20Full%20Report%20FINAL%204‐5‐10.pdf.

6 – 10 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                 

             

               

       

                 

                 

                 

             

             

           

                       

               

                   

                 

                   

                 

                       

             

                   

                   

                   

         

                 

                 

                   

                   

                 

                     

                       

                           

                   

             

                       

                 

               

           

               

     

Box 6.3 The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) helps manufacturers

of all kinds—from shipbuilders to semiconductor makers—streamline their op‐

erations, improve quality, reduce environmental impacts, and develop innova‐

tive products and processes.

The NIST Laboratory programs also provide critical support for manufacturers

through research, standards activities, and the development and delivery of

measurement services. Efforts are underway in partnership with industry and

academia, to produce measurement technologies, standards, and services in

areas including nano‐ and biomanufacturing, advanced robotics, additive man‐

ufacturing, cyberphysical systems, advanced materials development, and a

number of other areas that will broadly impact technologies that are critical to

advanced manufacturing across industry sectors. NIST is committed to advanc‐

ing the Administration’s vision for advanced manufacturing and will continue to

provide:

● Unique and enabling measurements to industry, particularly in support of

emerging technologies. In the area of advanced materials NIST is working to

develop modeling and characterization tools that will help reduce materials

design time from the current 10 year timeframe to a timescale more com‐

patible with the average 18 month product development cycle.

● Support to strategic standards development and adoption. In the area of

robotics NIST is working to provide the measurement framework that will

support the adoption of standards to enable safer, closer proximity human‐

robot interactions on the factory floor.

● Support to technology transfer and commercialization of technology. In the

area of nanomanufacturing the NIST nano‐fabrication facility provides a key

facility for users to test new manufacturing methods and techniques that

can help speed the introduction of new nanomaterials into new products.

In addition, NIST’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and its

nationwide network of centers have a proven track record of helping manufac‐

turers. According to NIST research “every $1 of Federal investment in MEP gen‐

erates $32 of return in sales growth, a total of $3.6 billion in new sales

nationally.”20 MEP centers offer access to market intelligence, trends, and data

about manufacturing; outreach assistance to existing manufacturing firms in

the region to get them involved in cluster initiatives (particularly small and me‐

dium sized manufacturers); technical assistance to companies in targeted clus‐

ters to enhance their competitiveness and accelerate growth opportunities

(technology development, sustainability, etc.) leading to job creation; and

tracking of performance measures (e.g., jobs created/retained, cost savings,

new sales, new investments).

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 6 – 11
 
 

                       

       

   

                     

                         

                   

                           

                     

                     

                         

                         

   

                 

                             

                 

                     

                         

                     

                   

                       

         

                       

                   

                       

               

                 

                   

                           

                 

                       

                       

     

West Paw Designs: Sustainable Manufacturing in Montana 

West Paw Design is a small manufacturer based in Bozeman, MT that makes pet

toys and beds. 1 West Paw uses IntelliLoft—a fiber created from 100 percent

post‐consumer recycled plastic soda bottles—to fill their stuffed pet beds and

toys. Since 2006, the company has helped divert more than 5 million plastic

bottles from landfills through this practice.

West Paw has taken advantage of Federal programs and services for small busi‐

nesses, for sustainable manufacturing, and for exporting. They’ve been able to

utilize the variety of services available to them, including SBA loans through the

Recovery act, the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership program at

NIST, and some export assistance from the Department of Commerce’s U.S.

Commercial Service. 2 In 2010 West Paw doubled the size of its manufacturing

facility by focusing on a green line of products and by looking to the interna‐

tional marketplace, with the help of various Federal government programs and

services.

1. West Paw Design, “The West Paw Design Story.” Accessed November 15, 2011 www.westpaw

design.com/articles/‐west‐paw‐story/west‐paw‐design‐story.

2. Williams, Spencer. Invited Testimony before the United States Senate Committee on Finance. Febru‐

ary 23, 2010 finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/022310swtest.pdf.

Box 6.4 

vation in the 20th century, including Xerox PARC, RCA David Sarnoff Research Cen‐

ter, and AT&T Bell Labs.”21

Investments in Education

As outlined in Chapter 4, investments in education, particularly STEM education,

are critical to the future competitiveness of the United States. This is especially

true for modern manufacturing, which requires an increasingly skilled workforce.

Just as the manufacturing sector today is diverse and not a monolithic set of fac‐

tories banging out widgets, today’s manufacturing workforce is diverse, with a

wide range of skills. The share of manufacturing employment accounted for by

those with at least some college education has been increasing over time and ex‐

ceeded half of the overall manufacturing labor force during the last few years

(see figure 6.7).

Community colleges are educating many of these higher skilled manufacturing

workers either as a continuation of their formal K–12 education or as part of the

workforce development system. The United States’ public, 2‐year college system

has more than 7.1 million students enrolled and awards 790,000 associate de‐

6 – 12 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                 

                     

                       

                     

                           

                       

                         

           

                       

                     

                               

                         

                     

                     

                   

Figure 6.7 

Manufacturing 

Employment by 

Education Level, 

1979–2010 

High School or less 

Some college or more 

80% 

70% 

60% 

50% 

40% 

30% 

20% 

10% 

0% 

1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 

Source: CPS public use Merged Outgoing Rotation Group files from NBER 

grees annually.22 Moreover, community colleges award huge numbers of non‐de‐

gree certificates in specific scientific, technical, and computing skills. In addition,

many of these institutions offer contract training for the public sector and em‐

ployers, providing multiple opportunities for students and workers to gain skills

that can facilitate their job search or allow them to become more productive in

their current jobs. Students have been flocking to public 2‐year colleges, with

enrollment up by 75 percent between 1979 and 2009, and by 12 percent be‐

tween December 2007 and June 2009.23

Employment projections through 2018 show that jobs that require at least some

postsecondary education will be growing faster than those that require workers

with just a high school diploma or less; however, the fastest growth will be in jobs

for which an associate degree is the best pathway of entry.24 Community colleges

are also a needed nexus between industry and higher education, providing edu‐

cation in academic fields, including STEM, combined with vocational studies (see

box 6.5 for an example of private‐public partnership at community colleges).

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 6 – 13 
 

                     

                     

                   

                       

                   

                     

                       

                         

                         

                       

                 

   

         

                 

                             

                           

                       

                   

                   

                     

                       

                     

               

                       

                   

               

                   

   

                   

                     

                         

                       

             

10,000 Small Businesses 

This Goldman Sachs initiative is a $500 million, five‐year program that aims to

unlock the growth and job‐creation potential of 10,000 small businesses across

the United States. It provides access to business education, mentors, networks

and financial capital. The program is anchored at local community colleges. At

year end 2011, the program was operating in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago,

New Orleans, Houston, and Long Beach, CA, and focused on historically under‐

served communities.

Economic development experts believe that a combination of education, capi‐

tal and support services best address the barriers to growth for small busi‐

nesses. The current environment of fiscal austerity is notably impeding the

budgets of many public post‐secondary school programs, including community

colleges that often provide support to new business owners and vocational

training to others.

The Goldman Sachs program has thus far targeted disadvantaged urban areas.

The board of 10,000 Small Businesses, which includes Warren Buffet and Pro‐

fessor Michael Porter, has laid out the mandate for the initiative which is to

meet the vital need for training, tools and relationships to help local entrepre‐

neurs create a self‐reinforcing cycle of economic opportunity.

Box 6.5 

Community colleges depend much more than 4‐year public universities on state

and local government appropriations. In the 2008–2009 school year, 47 percent

of total revenues of public 2‐year schools came from these appropriations, com‐

pared with 24 percent for public 4‐year schools.25 Given their dependence on

state and local budgets, community colleges are especially vulnerable to govern‐

ment cutbacks. The Obama Administration recognized early on the essential role

played by community colleges, and the $2 billion Health Care Reform Act invest‐

ment in community colleges is one essential and timely investment that will help

strengthen not just the colleges themselves, but also their ties to local industries.

While community colleges by definition operate at a local level, these needed

Federal government investments support workers, their communities, and the

nation’s industrial base.

Investments in Transportation, Energy, and Communications

Infrastructure

Finally, the Federal government can support American manufacturers by invest‐

ing in a 21st century infrastructure, as outlined in Chapter 5. This is because the

“cost to move goods from one factory to another and to their final destination,

6 – 14 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                                   

                         

             

             

                 

                 

                   

           

                   

                       

               

                   

                       

       

                       

                       

                       

             

                   

                 

                 

                   

         

                     

                         

                 

             

                       

                   

       

the cost to move energy from where it is created to where it is used, the cost of

moving people and the cost to transport information are all significant factors in

the manufacturing process” notes the Administration’s A Framework for Revital‐

izing American Manufacturing.

26Also, PCAST notes that small‐and medium‐sized

firms “would benefit from readily accessible shared infrastructure, providing

both equipment and expertise. Infrastructure currently provided at Federal labo‐

ratories, for example, for the fabrication of micro‐electromechanicalsystems, has

allowed for new products to be developed.”27

In addition to programs that are strictly Federal, partnerships and coordination

with governments at the state and local level have also proved effective. For ex‐

ample, Commerce’s NIST MEP, along with the Economic Development Adminis‐

tration (EDA), recently partnered with the National Governors Association (NGA)

to launch a Policy Academy that will encourage the growth of advanced manufac‐

turing industries (see box 6.6).

These examples clearly illustrate the important role of the Federal government in

supporting U.S. manufacturing. This support has been important in the past and

will likely be even more important in the increasingly competitive marketplace of

the future.

EDA, NIST, NGA Collaborate To Form a Policy Academy 

The U.S. Commerce Department’s NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership

(MEP), in collaboration with EDA, have partnered with the National Governors

Association (NGA) to launch a Policy Academy to encourage coordination

amongst stakeholders in both Federal and state government along with leaders

in industry and academia, to spur the growth of advanced manufacturing in‐

dustries and support American jobs.

The states will receive guidance and technical assistance from NGA staff, ex‐

perts from MEP, EDA and the State Science and Technology Institute, as well as

consultants from the private sector, research organizations and academia. Colo‐

rado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania

have been selected to participate, and the strategies and policies that are de‐

veloped at the Policy Academy are intended to benefit all states.

___________________

For more information, visit www.nga.org/cms/center/ehsw.

Box 6.6 

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 6 – 15 
 

       

                     

                 

               

                     

                     

                   

             

                   

             

                     

                 

         

                   

                     

                 

                   

               

                             

                       

                   

                     

                   

               

                       

           

                   

               

Federal Initiatives to Revive Manufacturing

Many initiatives are underway to revitalize the U.S. manufacturing sector. They

include:

●	 The White House Office of Manufacturing Policy. To improve the coordination

of manufacturing policy across the Federal government, President Obama

announced on December 12, 2011 that Commerce Secretary John Bryson and

National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling will be co‐chairs of the

White House Office of Manufacturing Policy. The office will convene cabinet‐

level meetings to implement and coordinate priority manufacturing initiatives.

●	 The Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP). Launched in June 2011, AMP

identifies opportunities for industry, academia, and government to collabo‐

rate in order to accelerate the development and deployment of emerging

technologies with the potential to transform and reinvigorate advanced manu‐

facturing in the United States.

●	 The AMP Steering Committee (AMP‐SC) is co‐chaired by Susan Hockfield

of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Andrew Liveris of Dow

Chemical and includes leading experts from industry and academia,

including CEOs of major manufacturing firms and presidents of leading

universities. The AMP‐SC conducted four regional meetings from Octo‐

ber to December of 2011, and will be issuing a final report in the spring

of 2012.

●	 In addition, to support the rapidly advancing work of the AMP, the

Administration is establishing a National Program Office (NPO) that will

reside at Commerce’s NIST and will be staffed by a broad representation

from several key Federal agencies involved in U.S. manufacturing in

order to provide a coordinated “whole‐of‐government” response. The

AMP NPO will support the ongoing work of the AMP partners, support

interagency coordination of advanced manufacturing programs, and

provide a link to the growing private sector partnerships between manu‐

facturers, universities, state and local governments, and other manufac‐

turing‐related organizations.

6 – 16 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                   

                     

                 

                     

                 

                     

                   

             

                           

                   

                     

                   

                   

                 

                     

     

             

       

             

                     

                 

               

                   

                 

       

               

                     

               

                 

                 

●	 The Materials Genome Initiative. This program modeled on the Human

Genome project that deciphered the building blocks of human genetics, will

speed understanding of fundamental issues related to materials science by

investing in research, training and infrastructure to enable U.S. companies to

discover, develop, manufacture, and deploy advanced materials. For example,

the initiative will fund various computational tools and software to help

understand the properties of these materials and open standards and data‐

bases to help facilitate the sharing of knowledge.

●	 SelectUSA was established by Executive Order on June 15, 2011. It is the first

Federal effort designed with executive authority to support foreign and

domestic business investment in the United States. It showcases the United

States as the world’s premier business location, complementing the activities

ofstates and regions—the primary drivers of economic development—to spur

economic growth and job creation. SelectUSA coordinates existing resources

and functions across all Federal agencies that have operations relevant to

business investment decisions.

SelectUSA encourages business investment by conducting four criti‐

cal, inherently governmental functions:

●	 Outreach and engagement. Leading and coordinating outreach and

engagement by the Federal government to promote the United States as

the best market for business operations in the world;

●	 Ombudsman. Serving as ombudsman to facilitate the resolution of spe‐

cific issues involving Federal programs or activities related to pending

investments and addressing the Federal regulatory climate through an

interagency investment facilitation task force;

●	 Information clearing house. Providing information to firms regarding

items such as Federal programs and incentives available to investors and

state and local economic development points of contact; and,

●	 Policy advisement and engagement. Advising the White House, Federal

agencies, and the U.S. economic development community on business

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 6 – 17 
 

                 

           

                 

                         

                   

                       

               

   

                     

               

                 

           

                     

             

                 

     

                     

                       

                   

             

                     

                       

                       

                 

                   

   

investment policy issues based on feedback, solicited and unsolicited,

that is received from investors and stakeholders.

●	 New Federal support for R&D. Initiatives the Obama Administration is champi‐

oning include funding for DOE to support R&D in areas such as flexible

electronics for components like batteries and solar cells and ultra‐light materi‐

als for cars and funding for NSF to support research in advanced manufactur‐

ing areas such as nano‐manufacturing, next‐generation robotics and “smart”

buildings and bridges.

●	 The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI). The NNI is the U.S. Federal gov‐

ernment’s interagency program for coordinating R&D and enhancing commu‐

nication and collaborative activities in nanoscale science, engineering and

technology.

●	 National Digital Engineering and Manufacturing Consortium (NDEMC).

NDEMC is a public‐private partnership launched in March 2011 that brings

together manufacturers, industry associations, Federal agencies, national labs,

and research universities to make modeling and simulation capabilities avail‐

able to small‐and medium‐sized manufacturers.

The manufacturing sector would also greatly benefit from some of the policies

outlined elsewhere in this report, such as robust basic research funding, an ex‐

panded and enhanced corporate R&D tax credit, and accelerated R&D, specifi‐

cally in biotechnology, nanotechnology, clean energy and advanced

manufacturing (Chapter 3); initiatives to support STEM education, such as the

Skills for America’s Future Initiative and the Department of Education’s “Race to

the Top Initiative” (Chapter 4); infrastructure investments (Chapters 5 and 7); and

supporting Regional Innovation Clusters, the National Export Initiative, corporate

tax reform, and an effective intellectual property regime (domestically and

abroad) (Chapter 7).

6 – 18 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                       

                   

                     

                 

         

                   

                     

     

             

             

                         

                                   

           

             

           

                       

               

               

               

                     

                 

             

                 

                       

               

                                         

                                 

                     

                                                                   

                             

         

                           

       

                     

                 

             

                               

Endnotes
 

References
 

1. Bureau of Economic Analysis, SURVEY OF CURRENT BUSINESS January 2011, Table 2.

2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1961 to 2011, Table B–1.

3. Executive Office of the President of the United States 2009, 7.

4. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Trade in Goods and Services.

5. PCAST Report on Advanced Manufacturing 2011.

6. National Science Foundation, 2011. Detailed Statistical Tables NSF 11–301.

7. Wolfe, Raymond M. 2009. Table 3. As cited by Tassey, 290.

8. Tassey, 2010, 283–333.

9. PCAST Report on Advanced Manufacturing 2011, 11.

10. Bureau of Economic Analysis, GDP‐by‐Industry Data 2011.

11. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization‐G17 2011.

12. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Labor Productivity and Costs, as cited by Executive Office of the President 2009, 6.

13. Houseman, et. al. 2011, 115.

14. Autor, Dorn and Hansen, 2011, 21.

15. Bernard, Jensen and Schott 2004, 9.

16. PCAST Report on Advanced Manufacturing 2011, 3.

17. Council of Economic Advisers 2011, 95.

18. Executive Office of the President of the United States 2009, 11.

19. PCAST Report on Advanced Manufacturing 2011, 24.

20. National Institutes of Standards and Technology, 2011, 1.

21. PCAST Report on Advanced Manufacturing 2011, 17.

22. National Center for Education Statistics 2010, Tables 196 and 198.

23. National Center for Education Statistics 2010, Table 198.

24. Lacey and Wright 2009, 88, Table 3.

25. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS, 2010, Table 362.

26. Executive Office of the President of the United States 2009, 3.

27. PCAST Report on Advanced Manufacturing 2011, 20.

Autor, David, David Dorn, and Gordon Hansen. 2011. “The China Syndrome: The Local Labor Market Effects of

Import Competition” MIT Working Paper; econ‐www.mit.edu/files/6613.

Bernard, Andrew B., J. Bradford Jensen and Peter K. Schott. 2004. “Facing the Dragon: Prospects for U.S. Manu‐

facturers in the Coming Decade.” Yale School of Management Working Paper, faculty.som.yale.edu/peterschott/

files /research/papers/dragon.pdf.

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, (Accessed December 2011) Industrial Production and Capac‐ ity Utilization‐G17, Industrial Production: Market, Industry Groups, and Individual Series, Data from January

1986 to present (Tables 1, 2, and 10); www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g17/table1_2.htm.

Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Accessed November 2011) Table B–1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by major indus‐

try sector, 1961 to date; ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/suppl/empsit.ceseeb1.txt.

Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Accessed December 2011) Labor Productivity and Costs Data, Industry Labor Produc‐

tivity and Costs: Indexes; www.bls.gov/lpc/iprprodydata.htm.

Bureau of Economic Analysis. 2011. Survey of Current Business 2006–2009. January; www.bea.gov/scb/pdf/

2011/01January/0111_indy_accts_tables.pdf.

Bureau of Economic Analysis. (Accessed December 2011). GDP‐by‐Industry Data. www.bea.gov/industry/

gdpbyind_data.htm.

Bureau of Economic Analysis. (Accessed December 2011). International Economic Accounts, Trade in Goods and

Services 1992–Present; www.bea.gov/international/index.htm.

Council of Economic Advisers. 2011. Economic Report of the President. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Print‐ ing Office. February. www.gpoaccess.gov/eop/2011/pdf/ERP‐2011.pdf.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 6 – 19 
 

                             

   

                           

                 

                         

     

                   

                           

   

                                   

                         

                         

                               

         

                             

                               

                   

Executive Office of the President of the United States. 2009. A Framework for Revitalizing American Manufactur‐

ing. December; www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/20091216‐manufacturing‐framework.pdf.

Houseman, Susan, Christopher Kurz, Paul Lengermann and Benjamin Mandel. 2011. “Offshoring Bias in U.S.

Manufacturing,” Journal of Economic Perspectives. Vol. 25, no. 2. Spring; pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/

jep. 25.2.111.

Lacey, T. Alan, and Benjamin Wright. 2009. “Occupational Employment Projections to 2018.” Monthly Labor Re‐

view (November): 82–123, Table 3.

National Center for Education Statistics. 2010. 2010 Digest of Education Statistics; nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/

2010menu_tables.asp.

National Center for Education Statistics. Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Spring 2006 to

Spring 2010; nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d10/tables/dt10_362.asp.

National Institutes of Standards and Technology. 2011. The Manufacturing Extension Partnership: Partnering for

Manufacturing Innovation and Growth 2011, www.nist.gov/mep/upload/MEP‐PARTNERING‐ IMPACTS‐ FEB2011.pdf.

National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. 2011. Research and Devel‐

opment in Industry: 2006–07. Detailed Statistical Tables NSF 11–301. Arlington, VA. Available at www.nsf.gov/

statistics/nsf11301/.

President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. 2011. “Report to the President on Ensuring American

Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing.” June; www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/pcast‐

advanced‐manufacturing‐june2011.pdf.

Tassey, Gregory. 2010. “Rationales and Mechanisms for Revitalizing U.S. Manufacturing R&D Strategies.” Journal

of Technology Transfer 35: 283–333.

Wolfe, Raymond M. 2009. “U.S. Business R&D Expenditures Increase in 2007; Small Companies Perform 19% of

Nation’s Business R&D.” InfoBrief NSF 09–316. Washington, DC: National Science Foundation; www.nsf.gov/

statistics/infbrief/nsf09316/.

6 – 20 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 


 

                       

               

                           

                       

                         

                     

                     

                   

                       

   

             

   

           

   

         

     

                   

                     

                       

             

             

                     

                     

                       

                         

                   

                 

   

The Private

Sector as the

Engine of

Innovation

Introduction

Increasing the competitiveness and the capacity of the United States to innovate

goes beyond improving research, education, infrastructure, and the manufactur‐

ing sector. Many other factors can also lead to success, but perhaps chief among

them is ensuring that both established firms and entrepreneurs in the private

sector have the best possible environment in which to innovate. One of the ma‐

jor strengths of the American economy is that its decentralized, competitive mar‐

kets provide the best method for determining the value of innovative

opportunities and enabling their diffusion throughout the economy. This chapter

explores the following areas that help provide a good environment for private

sector innovation: 1

●	 Support regional clusters

●	 Accelerate high‐growth entrepreneurship through Startup America’s public

and private‐sector initiatives

●	 Promote exports and access to foreign markets

●	 Restructure corporate taxes

●	 Provide an effective intellectual property system

Regional Clusters and Entrepreneurship

Despite more open markets, faster and cheaper transportation, and an increas‐

ingly robust digital infrastructure, location has continued to be central to compet‐

itiveness and innovation.2 The prime example of how location still matters is

regional clusters, which “are geographic concentrations of interconnected busi‐

nesses, suppliers, service providers, coordinating intermediaries, and associated

institutions like universities or community colleges in a particular field (e.g., infor‐

mation technology in Seattle, aircraft in Wichita, and advanced materials in

Northeast Ohio).”3 Regional clusters can also be thought of as an “innovation eco‐

system” that “is made up of communities of people with different types of exper‐

tise and skill sets. Scientists, administrators, business leaders, engineers, writers,

educators, health‐care professionals, and other individuals all play a role.”4

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY	 7 – 1 
 

                             

                   

                       

                       

                     

                             

                   

                       

                 

                   

                     

                 

                     

                     

                           

                         

                           

                     

                       

                     

                     

                 

                       

                     

                     

                         

                     

       

                           

                       

                     

                     

                 

Once a critical mass of firms shares a common location they derive many types of

advantages from this proximity. These firms develop close relationships, giving

them better access to information and allowing them to interact more efficiently.

Firms in clusters can more easily find workers with relevant experience, and sup‐

pliers may also cluster nearby, lowering input costs. These advantages are diffi‐

cult, if not impossible, to take advantage of when firms are not close to each

other.5 Evidence indicates that areas with strong clusters perform better econom‐

ically than areas without these clusters; they have higher job growth, higher

wage growth, more businesses and a higher rate of patenting.6

Multiple studies highlight the positive correlation between the existence of re‐

gional innovation clusters(RICs) and wages. Wheaton and Lewis (2002) examined

the effects of industrial and occupational specialization on manufacturing wage

levels across 220 metropolitan areas.7 They found that for the typical metropoli‐

tan area, a doubling in employment concentration in a particular industry (similar

to what would occur when industry clusters are developed) is associated with a 2

percent increase in wages. Gibbs and Bernat (2001) found that wages for workers

in industry clusters were about 6 percent higher than for workers in the same in‐

dustry in a non‐clustered location.8 A Kansas cluster focused on aviation manu‐

facturing and development provides yet another example of the wage benefits of

RICs. The Kansas aviation cluster boasts 17.8 percent of all Kansas manufacturing

employment, with average annual wages of $63,000, compared with $40,000 in

average annual wages for all U.S. industries in 2006.9

RICs can also improve the productivity of firms operating in the clusters. Green‐

stone and Moretti (2004) evaluated the impact of large plants clustering to‐

gether.10 By comparing the productivity and employment growth of sitesselected

by large plants to those of “runner up” sites with similar characteristics, they

found that firms clustering together increased productivity by 12 percent and

employment by 9 percent.

New businesses are also generated by RICs; from the more than 150 clusters that

exist around the country, RICs have resulted in increased spin‐offs, creating new

commercial activity. For example, the CleanTECH San Diego cluster initiative that

was launched in 2007 and focused on energy efficiency, renewable energy, trans‐

portation, and water management has generated tremendous startup activity.

7 – 2 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                       

           

                       

                       

                       

                 

                     

                           

                     

                     

                   

                       

                   

                     

                     

                   

                   

                     

             

                       

                     

                     

       

                       

                     

                         

                         

                   

                     

                 

                         

                 

                       

San Diego now boasts more than 800 clean technology companies, supported by

world‐class universities and a network of investors.

The clear economic benefits generated by RICs suggest the need to encourage

the growth of these clusters. The Federal government is working in partnership

with state and local efforts through agencies such as the Small Business Adminis‐

tration (SBA) and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development

Administration (EDA). One example of EDA funding that helps clusters achieve su‐

perior results is a public‐private partnership that led to the creation of a new

proof‐of‐concept center at the University City Science Center in Philadelphia (see

box 7.1). This example highlights innovation occurring at a regional, economic de‐

velopment level. Another example of an economic development agency working

at the grass‐roots level is NorTech based in Northern Ohio (see box 7.2).

Another Department of Commerce effort to promote entrepreneurship at the re‐

gional level isthe establishment of the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

(OIE). The goal of the OIE is to promote innovation‐based, high‐growth entrepre‐

neurship by increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of efforts to commercial‐

ize technology developed through university and federally funded research. The

OIE manages the i6 Challenge, a multiagency competitive grant program that en‐

courages innovative partnership models that accelerate technology commercial‐

ization, new venture formation, and job creation. It also manages the National

Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, whose mission is to advise

on the best methods to foster entrepreneurship and to develop innovation eco‐

systems such as RICs.

Other efforts include: the SBA’s effort with the Department of Defense to de‐

velop clusters focusing on advanced technologies such as robotics, energy, and

cyber‐security; EDA’s RIC efforts in areas such as best practices and 21st century

infrastructure, as well as its work through the Taskforce for the Advancement of

Regional Innovation Clusters; and the Department of Agriculture’s initiatives to

bring regional strategies to rural areas that involve regional food systems, renew‐

able energy, broadband, and recreation. Finally, another recent significant devel‐

opment is the reauthorization, for another 6 years, of the SBA’s Small Business

Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs, which

are set‐aside programs for small businesses to engage in Federal R&D and to

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 7 – 3 
 

               

                     

             

                   

                   

                       

                       

                       

         

                 

                         

               

                 

                 

                   

                     

                 

                   

               

             

                       

                           

     

                     

                   

                         

                       

                   

                   

                     

                   

               

                         

           

                 

           

                 

                 

               

                       

             

facilitate cooperative R&D between small businesses and research institu‐

tions, respectively. The programs were also expanded to allow firms that are

Box 7.1 Example of a Public-Private Partnership: QED 

QED is a unique multi‐institutional proof‐of‐concept mechanism that supports

academic life science researchers as they transition their discoveries into prod‐

ucts for end users. The University City Science Center in Philadelphia, Pennsyl‐

vania, (the oldest and largest urban research park in the United States) created

the QED program in 2009 to bridge the gap between academic research grants

and commercial seed funding. The goals of the program are to engage Greater

Philadelphia’s academic institutions, research scientists, entrepreneurs, inves‐

tors, and industry in early‐stage commercialization, and ultimately to increase

the pace and value of technology transfer in the region by developing a pipeline

of new technologies that could significantly improve human health.

QED provides key resources, including business guidance, bridge funding, and

access to industry and investor representatives, to competitively selected proj‐

ects. Currently, 19 research institutions participate in the program under a

common set of terms and conditions that govern funding, indirect costs, intel‐

lectual property, and revenue sharing for program sustainability. Funding deci‐

sions are made by a regional selection team composed of representatives from

pharmaceutical, medical device and medical diagnostics companies, private eq‐

uity and venture capital firms, and economic development organizations. Each

project selected for funding receives up to $200,000 over 12 months, with half

of the funding provided by the Science Center and the other half by the scien‐

tist’s host institution.

To date, QED has received and evaluated more than 227 proposals. Proof‐of‐

concept plans have been developed, with the assistance of business advisors,

for 40 life science technologies at 15 institution, and 12 projects at eight institu‐

tions have been selected to receive funding. Of the nine projects that have

been substantially completed, five have resulted in the licensing or optioning of

technologies to the private sector, either through start‐up or established com‐

panies. One of the licensed technologies represents the first example of tech‐

nology from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Nation’s first hospital

for children, being commercialized via start‐up company formation.

Currently in the fourth cycle of its pilot phase, QED has received funding from

the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Ben Franklin Technology Development

Authority, the William Penn Foundation, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s

Economic Development Administration and Wexford Science + Technology.

QED’s early successes demonstrate the program’s potential for meaningful im‐

pact on the region’s innovation ecosystem through the collective engagement

of academic, private sector, and entrepreneurial stakeholders. The program is

both scalable and transferrable, and could serve as a template for similar ef‐

forts in other sectors and in other regions.

7 – 4 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                       

                     

                     

               

                 

                 

                   

             

                   

                 

                     

               

               

     

                       

                         

                 

       

                   

             

                   

                   

                 

                       

                     

                     

                     

                 

                       

           

   

     

majority owned by venture capital and that have private capital support to

participate.

Box 7.2 Regional Innovation Clusters: NorTech 

One excellent example of how regional innovation clusters can work to improve

the economic climate of an area through the support of emerging technology

industries is NorTech.1 A regional nonprofit technology‐based economic devel‐

opment organization serving 21 counties in Northeast Ohio, NorTech is funded

by public and private partners of regional businesses and philanthropic com‐

munities and supported by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic and

Development Administration. As a catalyst for developing regional innovation

clusters, NorTech is currently focused on two industries: advanced energy and

flexible electronics. The organization’s cluster development model serves all or‐

ganizations in the value chain and those that support the value chain—compa‐

nies of all sizes; research institutions; universities; public, private and

philanthropic funding sources; all levels of government, industry associations;

and other economic development organizations.

NorTech’s approach is to engage in activities at three levels: the cluster com‐

pany and project level, the regional level, and the national level. Based on the

Northeast Ohio’s unique strengths and assets, NorTech drives the development

of regional innovation clusters by:

● Attracting new members to the cluster by promoting Northeast Ohio’s tech‐

nology story;

● Building relationships among cluster members for funding, research, and

revenue opportunities;

● Engaging with Federal and state governments and policy leaders to develop

strategies to improve the likelihood clusters will continue to grow; and

● Collecting, reporting, and utilizing data that creates and influences cluster

growth.

NorTech believes in the value of regional innovation clusters as a “bottoms up”

approach to creating jobs and making the United States more globally competi‐

tive, specifically in Northeast Ohio. Clusters result in numerous benefits for a

region such as creating new, higher wage jobs; providing regional business op‐

portunities that are less susceptible to off‐shoring; stabilizing diverse communi‐

ties by repurposing idle assets and human capital; and increasing the export of

regionally produced manufactured goods to other markets.

1. See www.nortech.org/clusters/regional‐innovation‐cluster and www.nortech.org/about‐us/what‐we‐

do for more information.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 7 – 5
 
 

                           

                       

                         

                   

                     

                       

                 

                       

                 

Startup America

In the United States, firms younger than 5 years create a significant fraction of

new jobs.11 However, many young firms struggle to survive beyond the startup

period. The rate of new business startups has been declining over the past two‐

and‐a‐half decades, meaning fewer would‐be entrepreneurs are rising to the

challenge of turning new ideas into new businesses (see figure 7.1).

Figure 7.1 

U.S. Private 

Business Startup 

Rate, 1980–2009 

1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008
 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Center for Economic Studies, Business Dynamics Statistics. 

14
 

13
 

12
 

11
 

10
 

9
 

8
 

7
 

Launched in January 2011, Startup America is a White House initiative to acceler‐

ate high‐growth entrepreneurship throughout the Nation. President Obama has

called on both the Federal government and the private sector to dramatically in‐

crease the prevalence and success of entrepreneurs across the country.

7 – 6 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                     

                 

       

                     

                     

             

           

                   

   

                     

                 

               

                   

                 

                   

   

                     

                 

                     

             

                       

                   

                   

                     

                       

   

First, the Obama Administration’s Startup America initiative is an ongoing series

of policy actions to improve the environment for high‐growth entrepreneurship

in five key areas:

(1) Increasing access to capital for high‐growth companies (including zero capital

gains tax on qualified small business investments and streamlined rules for pri‐

vate funds that invest in lower income communities);

(2) Creating mentorship and educational opportunities for entrepreneurs (in‐

cluding new opportunities for clean energy entrepreneurs, military veterans, and

undergraduate engineers);

(3) Reducing barriers that can limit the growth of entrepreneurs through the so‐

licitation of recommendations regarding the modification or elimination of regu‐

lations;

(4) Accelerating innovation from lab to market for federally‐funded R&D (includ‐

ing lower cost access to government‐patented energy technology, and new fund‐

ing for regional proof‐of‐concept centers and regionally interconnected networks

of researchers, managers and capital across the business, education and govern‐

ment sectors); and

(5) Driving a nationwide effort by the Administration to engage potential new

opportunities in industries like healthcare, clean energy, and learning technolo‐

gies.

Second, the Startup America Partnership has been launched, which consists of al‐

liances of entrepreneurs, corporations, universities, foundations, and other lead‐

ers whose goal is to encourage innovative, high‐growth U.S. startups. The Startup

America Partnership has created a national online network where high‐growth

entrepreneurs can establish free membership profiles and unlock resources from

dozens of companies—from free software to free business filing to steeply dis‐

counted computer hardware. The total value of these resources is over $730 mil‐

lion and climbing.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 7 – 7 
 

           

   

                         

                   

                           

                         

                         

               

                         

                     

                   

                         

                       

                 

                           

                   

                       

                             

                           

                 

                     

                         

                     

                   

                         

                       

                     

                             

                 

                           

                       

                         

Promoting America’s Exports and Improving Access

to Foreign Markets

A vibrant and expanding export market is essential for economic growth and for

creating new jobs. Many of the recommendations previously discussed to in‐

crease innovation in the United States may also lead to more exports, which in

turn should stimulate further innovation in the United States. If the United States

can produce higher quality goods and services more efficiently, it will be more

competitive in foreign markets. However, U.S. exporters, particularly manufactur‐

ing firms, often are not only competing against private sector domestic firms but

are also competing against foreign firms that may benefit from foreign govern‐

ment support for particular manufacturing sectors. For example, in some in‐

stances, countries do not allow the foreign exchange rates of their currencies to

be fully flexible and market determined. This can make U.S. goods more expen‐

sive than they otherwise would be, limiting U.S. export growth.12

Ensuring that U.S. businesses have fair and open access to foreign markets is an

important component of increasing U.S. exports. Enforcing the obligations of

other countries with respect to market access cannot fall to businesses that ex‐

port but must be done by the U.S. government. This is yet another area where

there is a clear role for government to improve the competitiveness of the United

States. Some progress already has been made on this front.

Therefore, in addition to pursuing policies to improve innovation, the Federal

government can play a role in promoting U.S. exports. In March 2010, President

Obama launched the National Export Initiative (NEI), which “brings a sustained,

vigorous commitment to ensure fair and open export market for American busi‐

nesses” and is “an ambitious effort to help American businesses that sell their

goods and services abroad. By unlocking foreign markets for U.S. goods and ser‐

vices, improving access to credit for U.S. businesses, and undertaking other mea‐

sures, the NEI seeks to double U.S. exports in five years and support millions of

additional jobs.”13

Additionally, Congress approved three free trade agreements, with Panama, Co‐

lombia, and South Korea in quick succession in the fall of 2011, marking the big‐

gest step forward in opening foreign markets to American goods and services

since the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Uruguay Round of the

7 – 8 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                   

                   

                   

                           

                 

       

                     

                     

                       

                 

                     

                         

                       

             

                     

                   

               

                     

                 

                     

                         

                       

           

                       

                       

                             

                     

                         

                 

                         

             

                     

                       

                 

                 

mid‐1990s. Of these agreements, the most commercially significant was the Ko‐

rea‐United States free trade agreement (KORUS). A study by the International

Trade Commission estimated that the renegotiated agreement with Korea could

boost annual U.S. goods exports to Korea by as much as $11 billion.14 The agree‐

ment also included Korean commitments expected to result in considerable ex‐

pansion of U.S. services exports.

In November 2009, President Obama announced the United States’ intention to

participate in the Trans‐Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, with the goal of

concluding a high‐standard free trade agreement with countries in the huge and

growing markets of the Asia‐Pacific region. This next‐generation agreement

would address not only the core issues traditionally included in trade agree‐

ments, but also new issues such as making the regulatory systems of TPP coun‐

tries more compatible so U.S. companies can operate more seamlessly in TPP

markets, and helping innovative, job‐creating small and medium‐sized enter‐

prises participate more actively in international trade and in investment in inno‐

vative products and services, including digital technologies, and mechanisms to

ensure state‐owned enterprises compete fairly with private companies. In addi‐

tion to the United States, the other countries participating in the negotiations

currently include Australia, Chile, Peru, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia,

New Zealand, and Vietnam. Ten rounds of negotiations among these prospective

partners have already taken place, with the most recent round having been held

in Malaysia in December 2011. In November 2011, Japan, Canada, and Mexico

announced their interest in joining the negotiations.

The costs of financing export operations pose an additional barrier for smaller

firms. Financial institutions may erroneously regard a small firm that is highly de‐

pendent on exports as a riskier borrower than one that is entirely domestic in its

focus. The mission of the Export‐Import Bank (Ex‐Im), along with other institu‐

tions, is to proactively support small and medium‐sized firms. In fiscal year 2010,

Ex‐Im authorized $5 billion—20 percent of authorizations—to support small busi‐

nesses as primary exporters.15 The two Ex‐Im products most used by U.S. small

businesses are export‐credit insurance and working‐capital guarantees. Export‐

credit insurance protects exporters and lenders from the risk of buyer nonpay‐

ment for commercial or political reasons and enables exporters to extend credit

to international customers. Working‐capital guarantees cover 90 percent of the

outstanding balance of working‐capital loans to exporters supported by export‐

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related inventory and accounts receivable. In fiscal year 2010, the Bank issued

2,524 insurance policies to small‐business exporters—90 percent of the total

number of policies for the year. The Bank also authorized a record $2.2 billion in

working‐capital guarantees, 70 percent of which supported small business.16

Corporate Taxes

The United States has the second‐highest statutory corporate income tax rate in

the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD). Japan has

the highest. However, the United States does not rank as high in terms of the av‐

erage effective tax rate paid by corporations.17 One reason is that the corporate

tax code has numerous provisions for special deductions, credits, and other tax

expenditures that benefit certain activities.

The combination of a high statutory rate and numerous deductions and exclu‐

sions results in an inefficient tax system. The high statutory rate discourages sav‐

ing and investment, while the features that limit the tax base favor debt over

equity, encourage investment in certain favored assets over other kinds of invest‐

ment, and drive capital out of the corporate sector into noncorporate forms of

business. There are also inefficiencies due to the way the United States taxes the

foreign income of U.S. multinational corporations. The lower foreign corporate

tax rates, along with the fact that other countries use a territorial system of cor‐

porate taxation, places U.S. multinational companies at a cost disadvantage.

Finally, according to the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board, the com‐

plexity of the code and its incentives for tax avoidance result in costs to firms that

are “estimated to exceed $40 billion per year or more than 12 percent of the rev‐

enues collected. All of these factors act to reduce the productivity of American

businesses and American workers, increase the likelihood and cost of financial

distress, and drain resources away from more valuable uses.”18

Given the inefficiencies described above, proposals to reform the corporate tax

code would likely trade a lower statutory rate for a broader tax (that is, fewer

provisions that favor one type of investment over another) while also, perhaps,

dealing with the unequal treatment of U.S. multinationals relative to other coun‐

tries. However, there are tradeoffs to moving to a more simplified corporate tax

7 – 10 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                   

                     

                           

           

           

                 

                   

                 

                           

                 

                   

                       

                     

                       

                     

                 

                   

                       

                       

                         

                       

                               

                     

                           

                       

                             

                   

                     

                           

                     

                       

code, and changes could dampen innovation.19 For example, R&D currently re‐

ceives preferential treatment through a tax credit, and the Administration has ar‐

gued for simplifying, enhancing, and expanding the R&D tax credit as a way of

helping companies create jobs and increase productivity.20

Ensuring a Well‐Functioning Intellectual Property Rights

System

A well‐functioning intellectual property rights (IPR) system is crucial for encour‐

aging innovation and creating jobs. “Absent effective legal protections for innova‐

tors, other businesses can immediately exploit an innovator’s idea, undermining

the incentive to invent in the first place. Public policy solvesthis problem through

intellectual property rights—allowing limited, short‐run grants of exclusive rights

to catalyze inventive activity.”21 And to safeguard those intellectual property

rights, the Administration issued a White Paper in March 2011 with 20 recom‐

mendations for legislative changes based on its comprehensive review of existing

law in order to ensure that American workers and businesses are protected, ex‐

emplifying the Administration’s commitment to grow jobs and exports as well as

to protect the health and safety of the American people.22

In the United States, intellectual property (IP) significantly influences innovation

and economic growth. Industries that are the most intensive users of IP protec‐

tions directly support millions of jobs across all sectors of the economy. Unfortu‐

nately, the U.S. patent system has not always functioned in a manner conducive

to encouraging innovation.23 In particular, it is crucial that the United States im‐

prove its IP system by reducing both review times as well as the cost of litigation

related to patents. Fortunately, significant progress has been made in reforming

the patent system in the United States. With the passage of the America Invents

Act in September 2011, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

will be able to offer, under a prioritized examination process, a new fast track for

reviewing patents with a guaranteed 12‐month approval timetable for certain

patents.24 Additional resources are provided in the Act, allowing USPTO to con‐

tinue reducing the backlog of patent applications and the time it takes to review

them. USPTO will offer entrepreneurs new ways to make litigation regarding pat‐

ent validity less burdensome and at costs significantly less expensive than going

to court.

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IP protection abroad is also crucial for U.S. firms. Infringement of IPR in markets

abroad causes significant financial losses for rights holders and legitimate busi‐

nesses around the world and undermines key U.S. comparative advantages in in‐

novation and creativity to the detriment of American businesses and workers.

The Administration’s Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement, is‐

sued in June 2010 by the White House Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordi‐

nator, lays out a comprehensive strategy for the U.S. Government to strengthen

enforcement of intellectual property rights, both at home and abroad.25 Initia‐

tives on the international front include the U.S. government aggressively pursu‐

ing meaningful improvements in the protection and enforcement of U.S.

intellectual property with our trading partners. This includes direct bilateral en‐

gagement to increase enforcement, participation in regional and multilateral

fora, and the negotiation of new IPRs related instruments, such as the Anti‐Coun‐

terfeiting Trade Agreement, and, where appropriate, enforcing our rights using

the dispute settlement procedures of the World Trade Organization.

The U.S. government is also alert to emerging concerns regarding innovation and

industrial policies in some of our trading partners that may disadvantage U.S. IP

rights holders. Such policies include measures that condition government bene‐

fits on the local development or ownership of IPR, or that condition market ac‐

cess or other benefits on the transfer of technology, IPR or other proprietary

information from foreign companies to domestic entities. They may also include

measures to restrict the ability of U.S. rights holders to freely negotiate the terms

and conditions of the use of their IPR or impediments to enforce contractual ar‐

rangements.

The Obama Administration is committed to an intellectual property rights sys‐

tem that recognizes that IP rights are fully consistent with—and indeed en‐

able—other core values such as the norms of legitimate competition, free

speech, fair process, and the privacy of users. The Administration is also com‐

mitted to addressing international health and public safety challenges. For exam‐

ple, the USPTO has issued a request for information to develop strategies to

incentivize humanitarian technologies through the intellectual property system.

7 – 12 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                             

                                 

     

       

     

     

         

     

         

               

                 

       

         

             

             

         

               

               

   

                 

               

     

                       

       

     

                                 

             

                           

                 

                                 

                                   

                               

                             

   

                             

           

                             

       

                             

                     

     

                     

                         

1. The Obama Administration, through its Strategy for American Innovation, is committed to supporting these ar‐ Endnotes	 eas, as well as others. See A Strategy for American Innovation: Securing Our Economic Growth and Prosperity,

www.whitehouse.gov/innovation/strategy.

References
 

2. Porter 1998.

3. Muro and Katz 2010.

4. Estrin 2009.

5. Porter 1998, 81–83.

6. Delgado, Porter, and Stern 2011.

7. Wheaton and Lewis 2002.

8. Gibbs and Bernat 2001.

9. Center for Economic Development and Business Research 2008.

10. Greenstone and Moretti 2004; Greenstone, Hornbeck and Moretti, 2010.

11. Haltiwanger, Jarmin, and Javier 2010.

12. Ezell and Atkinson 2011, 26.

13. National Economic Council 2011, A Strategy for American Innovation, 5 and 24.

14. United States International Trade Commission 2007.

15. Export Promotion Cabinet 2010, 4.

16. Export Promotion Cabinet 2010, 4.

17. The President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board 2010, 65.

18. The President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board 2010, 65.

19. Atkinson 2011.

20. National Economic Council 2011, A Strategy for American Innovation, 42.
 

21.National Economic Council 2011, A Strategy for American Innovation, 11.
 

22. White House 2011a.
 

23.National Academy of Sciences. National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine 2010, 57.
 

24. White House 2011b.
 

25. White House 2010.
 

Atkinson, Robert D. 2011. The Case for Incentives in the U.S. Corporate Tax Code. Washington, DC: The Informa‐

tion Technology and Innovation Foundation, September 27; www.itif.org/files/2011‐atkinson‐tax‐incentives.pdf.

Center for Economic Development and Business Research. 2008. Kansas Aviation Manufacturing. Wichita, KS: W.

Frank Barton School of Business, Wichita State University, September; webfiles.wichita.edu/cedbr/AvFINAL.pdf.

Delgado, Mercedes, Michael E. Porter, and Scott Stern. 2011., Clusters, Convergence, and Economic Performance.

(March); www.isc.hbs.edu/pdf/DPS_Clusters_Performance_2011‐0311.pdf. [See reference in chapter 1.]

Estrin, Judy. 2009. Closing the Innovation Gap: Reigniting the Spark of Creativity in a Global Economy. New York:

McGraw Hill.

The Export Promotion Cabinet. 2010. Report to the President on the National Export Initiative: The Export Pro‐

motion Cabinet’s Plan for Doubling U.S. Exports in Five Years. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce,

September 2010; www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/nei_report_9‐16‐10_full.pdf.

Ezell, Stephen J., and Robert D. Atkinson. 2011. The Case for a National Manufacturing Strategy. Washington, DC:

The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, April.

Gibbs, Robert M., and G. Andrew Bernat, Jr. 2001. “Rural Industry Clusters Raise Local Earnings.” Rural Develop‐

ment Perspectives 12 (March): 18–25; www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/RDP/RDP697/RDP697d.pdf.

Greenstone, Michael, and Enrico Moretti. 2004. “Bidding for Industrial Plants: Does Winning a ‘Million Dollar

Plant’ Increase Welfare?” Department of Economics Working Paper 04–39. Cambridge, MA: Massachusetts Insti‐ tute of Technology.

Greenstone, Michael, Richard Hornbeck and Enrico Moretti, "Identifying Agglomeration Spillovers: Evidence

from Winners and Losers of Large Plant Openings" Journal of Political Economy, 118(3), 2010.

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Haltiwanger, John C., Jarmin, Ron S. and Miranda, Javier. 2010. Who Creates Jobs? Small vs. Large vs. Young.

National Bureau of Economic Research, Working Paper No. 16300 (August 2010, Revised November 2011):

24–25; www.nber.org/papers/w16300.pdf.

Muro, Mark, and Bruce Katz. 2010. “The New ‘Cluster Moment’: How Regional Innovation Clusters Can Foster

the Next Economy.” Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings Institution, September 2010. www.brookings.edu

/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2010/0921_clusters_muro_katz/0921_clusters_muro_katz.pdf.

National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. 2010. Rising Above

the Gathering Storm, Revisited: Rapidly Approaching Category 5. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

National Economic Council, Council of Economic Advisers, and Office of Science and Technology Policy. 2011. A

Strategy for American Innovation: Securing Our Economic Growth and Prosperity. Washington, DC, February.

Porter, Michael E. 1998. “Clusters and the New Economics of Competition.” Harvard Business Review www.nap.

edu/catalog/11463.html(November–December): 81–83.

The President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board. 2010. The Report on Tax Reform Options: Simplification,

Compliance, and Corporate Taxation. Washington, DC: White House, August; www.whitehouse.gov/sites/

default/files/microsites/PERAB_Tax_Reform_Report.pdf.

United States International Trade Commission (USITC). U.S.‐Korea Free Trade Agreement: Potential Economy‐

wide and Selected Sectoral Effects. Investigation No. TA‐2104‐24. USITC Publication 3949. September 2007;

www.usitc.gov/publications/docs/pubs/2104F/pub3949.pdf.

Wheaton, William C., and Mark J. Lewis. 2002. “Urban Wages and Labor Market Agglomeration.” Journal of Ur‐

ban Economics 51 (May): 542–562.

White House. Office of the Press Secretary. 2010. Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement. 2010;

www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/intellectualproperty/intellectualproperty_strategic_plan.

pdf.

White House. Office of the Press Secretary. 2011a. “Administration’s White Paper on Intellectual Property En‐

forcement Legislative Recommendations.” March 2011; www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/ip_white_

paper.pdf.

White House. Office of the Press Secretary. 2011b. “President Obama Signs America Invents Act, Overhauling the

Patent System to Stimulate Economic Growth, and Announces New Steps to Help Entrepreneurs Create Jobs.”

Press Release, September 16; www.whitehouse.gov/the‐press‐office/2011/09/16/president‐obama‐signs‐

america‐invents‐act‐overhauling‐patent‐system‐stim.

7 – 14 U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 


 

                     

                     

                         

                             

                       

                         

                     

                   

                             

                     

                   

                         

                       

                         

                           

                         

   

                               

                             

                           

                       

                           

                         

                         

           

                       

                       

                             

                 

                           

                             

           

Moving
 

Forward
 

Throughout its history, the United States has faced numerous challenges that

have threatened to derail its economic growth and prosperity. However, the

United States always has been able to meet and overcome these challenges, and

in so doing, increase the standard of living of its citizens. The private sector has

been the primary driver of this increased prosperity, as businesses innovate to re‐

main competitive.

Working with the private sector, government has also played a key role in sup‐

porting innovation by providing the necessary building blocks. In particular, the

Federal government has provided funding and support for basic research, fund‐

ing that has been important to many of the major innovations of the 20th century.

The Federal government also helped encourage the creation of arguably the

world’s leading system of higher education. First‐rate colleges and universities

train the workers needed to lead innovative activities in the private sector. The in‐

frastructure needed by business to innovate and compete, from railroads in the

19th century to broadband Internet networks in the late 20th and early 21st cen‐

tury, was built with support from the Federal government. In these three areas a

government role is necessary, as the private sector will not invest sufficiently on

its own.

In the first decade of the 21st century, the U.S. economy was no longer growing as

rapidly as it had in the past: job creation slowed, and income levels stagnated for

large segments of the population. It is no coincidence that the ability of the

United States to innovate also suffered during this period. Federal support for ba‐

sic research has not kept pace with the growth of the economy, the education

system has not done a good enough job preparing students to become skilled

workers, and the nation’s infrastructure has not kept up with growing needs of

the U.S. population and U.S. businesses.

Other factors have also diminished the innovative capacity of the United States.

The manufacturing sector, a key driver of innovation in the past, has been experi‐

encing a long period of decline. At the same time, the United States has had diffi‐

culty accessing certain foreign markets, enforcing intellectual property rights

around the world, and achieving a balanced tax system. Each of these factors, as

well as others highlighted in this report, need to be addressed if the United States

is to regain its preeminent innovative capacity.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY Moving Forward – 1 
 

                             

                                 

                     

                     

               

                           

                     

                     

                       

                       

             

                     

                   

                       

           

                     

                         

                       

                     

                       

                   

                       

               

                   

     

     

                     

                     

Although the list of problems is long, and though it will take time to overcome

them, there is also a long list of policy tools that will allow the United States to

address and correct these problems. Any sensible and successful approach to

overcoming these problems must start by implementing the following 10 key pol‐

icy proposals:

1. Continue to support government funding for basic research

For the United States to maintain a leadership role in innovation, it is critically im‐

portant that the Federal government continue its support for basic research.

Also, since quality scientific education and scientific advances take many years,

investments in research should be stable to improve career prospects of new sci‐

ence doctorates and to encourage younger students to choose science as a ca‐

reer.

2. Enhance and extend the R&D tax credit

Although the Federal government’s role in R&D is crucial, private R&D invest‐

ment remains important and a simplified, enhanced, and extended corporate

R&D tax credit would create the proper incentives for private industry to under‐

take the risks associated with R&D spending.

3. Speed the movement of ideas from basic science labs to

commercial application

Entrepreneurs can find it difficult to get early‐stage funding for their ideas. Other

barriers to commercialization exist, such as lack of business experience on the

part of would‐be entrepreneurs. “Proof of Concept” centers can help overcome

this barrier by supporting entrepreneurs at all stages of the development process

and these centers need further encouragement. The Administration is committed

to continuing its i6 Green Challenges to help develop these centers. Other initia‐

tives that should be encouraged include the Advanced Manufacturing Partner‐

ship where industry, academia and government can collaborate and accelerate

the development of emerging technologies.

4. Address STEM shortcomings

Poor STEM participation and performance in the nation’s schools must be rem‐

edied, as students are leaving secondary schools poorly trained to continue

2 – Moving Forward U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                         

               

                 

                   

                 

                 

                     

                       

                   

                       

                 

                 

           

         

                         

                     

                     

                 

               

                           

                         

                         

                         

                     

               

         

                           

                   

                     

                   

                       

         

studying in STEM fields. One avenue to address these problems is initiatives such

as “Educate to Innovate,” public‐private partnerships that expand STEM educa‐

tion to all students, particularly those of underrepresented groups,

through interactive games and other methods. Another avenue to promote and

prepare disadvantaged youth and dislocated workers for STEM careers, while si‐

multaneously enhancing the competitive position of local and regional employ‐

ers, was DOL’s STEM Opportunities in the Workforce System Initiative. These

2009 grants focused primarily on expanding and aligning current and new STEM

workforce education and training strategies, activities, and resources in One‐Stop

Career Centers. Also, additional funding is needed to train more STEM teachers.

Programs such as NSF’s Widening Implementation and Demonstration of Evi‐

dence based Reforms (WIDER) should be implemented to improve undergradu‐

ate STEM instruction and outcomes at universities.

5. Increase spectrum for wireless communications

The United States faces a spectrum crunch in the coming years, which could se‐

verely constrain innovation. The goals set by the “National Wireless Initiative,” in‐

clude doubling the amount ofspectrum available for wireless broadband services

and helping rural areas gain access to wireless broadband services.

6. Increase access to data to help spur innovation

Open access to data is a crucial component of a successful innovation policy, and

steps taken to encourage this include the launch of data.gov, a platform that pro‐

vides public access to valuable datasets; an initiative to simplify access to high

value data by, for example, creating standards; and the use of challenges and

prizes to bring together communities of innovators to help spur new technolo‐

gies. These efforts need to be continued and expanded.

7. Coordinate Federal support for manufacturing

For the manufacturing sector to reverse its decline, it is vital to continue funding

and supporting manufacturing specific programs like NIST’s MEP, SelectUSA, and

the individual pieces of the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership. In addition, it

is important to re‐focus and improve coordination of manufacturing programs

under the Office of Manufacturing Policy’s new structure led by co‐chair’s NEC

Director Sperling and Commerce Secretary Bryson.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY Moving Forward – 3 
 

                 

                   

                         

                   

                       

                 

                   

                         

                 

                 

                     

                   

                     

                         

                   

                 

                             

                     

                     

                     

                     

                   

                       

                       

                   

             

         

                 

   

                               

                         

                         

8. Continue and strengthen efforts to foster regional clusters

and entrepreneurship

Evidence shows that regional innovation clusters increase jobs and wages. Multi‐

ple efforts are already under way within the Federal government to promote and

encourage entrepreneurship and clusters and these efforts must continue. In the

area of encouraging clusters, efforts include the i6 Challenge (a competitive grant

program that encourages innovative partnership models), EDA’s efforts through

the Taskforce for the Advancement of Regional Innovation Clusters, the Depart‐

ment of Agriculture’s initiatives to bring regional strategies to rural areas and the

recently reauthorized SBA Small BusinessInnovation Research and Small Business

Technology Transfer programs. To encourage entrepreneurs, the Startup America

initiative is increasing access to capital and facilitating mentorships and the

Startup America Partnership has launched an online network that provides entre‐

preneurs access to valuable resources from dozens of companies. Efforts like

these will need continued support in the years ahead in order to ensure entre‐

preneurs have the resources they need to help drive innovation.

9. Promote America’s exports and improve access to foreign

markets

It is vital that U.S. businesses have fair and open access to foreign markets. To

help ensure firms have this access, the Administration launched the National Ex‐

port Initiative (NEI), and Congress enacted legislation the President submitted to

implement free trade agreements with Panama, Colombia, and South Korea. To

build on this momentum, the United States is participating in the Trans‐Pacific

Partnership negotiations, a free trade agreement with key partners in the Asia‐

Pacific region. This agreement, when finalized, will be a significant step forward

as it not only addresses traditional trade issues, but also includes regulatory har‐

monization, trade and investment in innovative products and services (including

digital technologies), and mechanisms to ensure state‐owned enterprises com‐

pete fairly with private companies.

10. Ensure that the conditions exist in which private

enterprise can thrive

The private sector is the engine of innovation in the United States and it is crucial

that both established firms and entrepreneurs in the private sector have the best

possible environment in which to innovate. To this end, areas that should be the

4 – Moving Forward U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

                           

                   

               

                       

                           

                       

                         

                 

               

focus of attention in the United States in the years ahead include reforming the

corporate tax system, and ensuring that the intellectual property system contin‐

ues to function in a way that encourages growth.

The United States is facing economic challenges as important and concerning as

any we have faced in our history. Meeting these challenges will require effort and

the enactment of policies, such as those listed above and others mentioned

throughout this report. However, there is little doubt that the United States can

meet these challenges and subsequently become more innovative and competi‐

tive, providing new jobs, new businesses, and new industries.

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY Moving Forward – 5 

 

Supplemental Materials
 

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY Supplemental Materials – 1
 
2 – Supplemental Materials U.S.COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY 
 

             

   

     

     

   

                   

     

         

       

         

   

             

   

           

   

                 

       

             

Innovation

Advisory

Board

Members

Robert Atkinson

Founder and President, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

Rebecca O. Bagley

President & CEO, NorTech

Jim Clements

President, West Virginia University

Abby Joseph Cohen

President of the Global Markets Institute and Senior Investment Strategist,
 

Goldman Sachs
 

Larry Cohen

President, Communications Workers of America

Judy Estrin

CEO, JLabs

Rebecca Henderson

Senator John Heinz Professor of Environmental Management

at the Harvard Business School

Irwin Jacobs

Director (Cofounder and former CEO), Qualcomm

Arthur Levinson

Chairman, Genentech, Inc.; Apple, Inc.

James Manyika

Director (Senior Partner), McKinsey & Company; Director,
 

McKinsey Global Institute
 

Natalia Olson‐Urtecho

President & CEO, EG (formerly Ecolibrium Group)

Kim Polese

Chairman, ClearStreet Inc.

Lucy Sanders

CEO and Co‐Founder, National Center for Women & Information Technology

Julie Shimer

President & CEO, Welch Allyn

Stephen Tang

President, CEO & Director, University City Science Center

U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY Supplemental Materials – 3 
 

               

             

                             

                       

             

                     

                   

         

                   

                   

   

                 

             

                         

           

                 

           

                       

             

                   

               

                   

                   

             

                   

             

                     

                 

                   

                     

               

                     

                     

                       

                   

                     

   

                   

                 

     

   

   

Section 604 of

the America

COMPETES

Reauthorization

Act of 2010

STUDY ON ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY OF

UNITED STATES AND DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL ECONOMIC COMPETITIVE‐

NESS STRATEGY.

(a) Study‐

(1) IN GENERAL‐ Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this

Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall complete a comprehensive study of the

economic competitiveness and innovative capacity of the United States.

(2) MATTERS COVERED‐ The study required by paragraph (1) shall include the fol‐

lowing:

(A) An analysis of the United States economy and innovation infrastructure.

(B) An assessment of the following:

(i) The current competitive and innovation performance of the United

States economy relative to other countriesthat compete economically with

the United States.

(ii) Economic competitiveness and domestic innovation in the current busi‐

ness climate, including tax and Federal regulatory policy.

(iii) The business climate of the United States and those of other countries

that compete economically with the United States.

(iv) Regional issues that influence the economic competitiveness and inno‐

vation capacity of the United States, including—

(I) the roles of State and local governments and institutions of higher

education; and

(II) regional factors that contribute positively to innovation.

(v) The effectiveness of the Federal Government in supporting and promot‐

ing economic competitiveness and innovation, including any duplicative ef‐

forts of, or gaps in coverage between, Federal agencies and departments.

(vi) Barriers to competitiveness in newly emerging business or technology

sectors, factors influencing underperforming economic sectors, unique is‐

sues facing small and medium enterprises, and barriers to the develop‐

ment and evolution of start‐ups, firms, and industries.

(vii) The effects of domestic and international trade policy on the competi‐

tiveness of the United States and the United States economy.

(viii) United States export promotion and export finance programs relative

to export promotion and export finance programs of other countries that

compete economically with the United States, including Canada, France,

Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, and the United Kingdom, with noting of ex‐

port promotion and export finance programs carried out by such countries

that are not analogous to any programs carried out by the United States.

(ix) The effectiveness of current policies and programs affecting exports, in‐

cluding an assessment of Federal trade restrictions and State and Federal

export promotion activities.

(x) The effectiveness of the Federal Government and Federally funded re‐

search and development centers in supporting and promoting technology

commercialization and technology transfer.

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(xi) Domestic and international intellectual property policies and practices.

(xii) Manufacturing capacity, logistics, and supply chain dynamics of major

export sectors, including access to a skilled workforce, physical infrastruc‐

ture, and broadband network infrastructure.

(xiii) Federal and State policies relating to science, technology, and educa‐

tion and other relevant Federal and State policies designed to promote

commercial innovation, including immigration policies.

(C) Development of recommendations on the following:

(i) How the United States should invest in human capital.

(ii) How the United States should facilitate entrepreneurship and innova‐

tion.

(iii) How best to develop opportunities for locally and regionally driven in‐

novation by providing Federal support.

(iv) How best to strengthen the economic infrastructure and industrial base

of the United States.

(v) How to improve the international competitiveness of the United States.

(3) CONSULTATION‐

(A) IN GENERAL‐ The study required by paragraph (1) shall be conducted in

consultation with the National Economic Council of the Office of Policy Devel‐

opment,such Federal agencies asthe Secretary considers appropriate, and the

Innovation Advisory Board established under subparagraph (B). The Secretary

shall also establish a process for obtaining comments from the public.

(B) INNOVATION ADVISORY BOARD‐

(i) IN GENERAL‐ The Secretary shall establish an Innovation Advisory Board

for purposes of obtaining advice with respect to the conduct of the study

required by paragraph (1).

(ii) COMPOSITION‐ The Advisory Board established under clause (i) shall be

comprised of 15 members, appointed by the Secretary—

(I) who shall represent all major industry sectors;

(II) a majority of whom should be from private industry, including large

and small firms, representing advanced technology sectors and more

traditional sectors that use technology; and

(III) who may include economic or innovation policy experts, State and

local government officials active in technology‐based economic devel‐

opment, and representatives from higher education.

(iii) EXEMPTION FROM FACA‐ The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C.

App.) shall not apply to the advisory board established under clause (i).

(b) Strategy‐

(1) IN GENERAL‐ Not later than 1 year after the completion of the study required

by subsection (a), the Secretary shall develop, based on the study required by

subsection (a)(1), a national 10‐year strategy to strengthen the innovative and

competitive capacity of the Federal Government, State and local governments,

United States institutions of higher education, and the private sector of the

United States.

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(2) ELEMENTS‐ The strategy required by paragraph (1) shall include the follow‐

ing:

(A) Actions to be taken by individual Federal agencies and departments to im‐

prove competitiveness.

(B) Proposed legislative actions for consideration by Congress.

(C) Annual goals and milestones for the 10‐year period of the strategy.

(D) A plan for monitoring the progress of the Federal Government with respect

to improving conditions for innovation and the competitiveness of the United

States.

(c) Report‐

(1) IN GENERAL‐ Upon the completion of the strategy required by subsection (b),

the Secretary of Commerce shall submit to Congress and the President a report

on the study conducted under subsection (a) and the strategy developed under

subsection (b).

(2) ELEMENTS‐ The report required by paragraph (1) shall include the following:

(A) The findings of the Secretary with respect to the study conducted under

subsection (a).

(B) The strategy required by subsection (b).

6 – Supplemental Materials U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE CAPACITY