31 March 2015

Net Gains: A Pro-Growth Digital Agenda

Robert Atkinson & Doug Brake

This essay is part of “Our Digital Future,” a series on technology and telecommunications policy in the digital era. To see the other essays in this series, click here.

Ageneral pessimism over technological progress has crept into the national dialogue. Everywhere one turns there is a new article about how robots are stealing our jobs, how all the gains from innovation go to the rich, or how all the low-hanging fruit of technological progress has been picked. This pessimism is at odds with the historical fact that economic growth through enhanced productivity has been a boon to every American. Growth-driving innovation is far from over, though many underestimate the need for good policy-making to power the right kind of innovation. When it comes to reaping the gains of innovation, we cannot just close our eyes and hope for the best.

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