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Developing Economies

Growing the innovation economy requires tight and deep integration of global markets—but with the critical caveat that this integration must come with strong commitments to openness and robust, market-oriented national competitiveness policies, not protectionist market distortions. ITIF's research critiques conventional development models that are more suited to the 20th century than the 21st; analyzes developing nations’ innovation potential; and advocates for the most effective technology and innovation policies.

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Transforming Global Trade and Development With Digital Technologies

Transforming Global Trade and Development With Digital Technologies

Digital technologies have transformed global commerce and raised living standards. By better aligning global trade rules to foster growth in digital technologies, economic and social benefits can be widely distributed.

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August 12, 2024|Reports & Briefings

US Development Financing Needs to Stop Rewarding Nations Whose Policies Harm US Companies and Workers

The U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC), which was created to serve counterweight to China’s Belt-and-Road initiative, rewards countries whose intellectual property and data policies harm American commercial interests and jobs. That needs to stop.

January 28, 2024|Blogs

Abandoning Growth and Increasing Inequality: A Critical Look at Oxfam’s Recommendations for Corporate Regulations

Governments should ignore the message that large firms are harmful and instead allow them to acquire market power legitimately, keep IP rights strong, and reduce corporate tax rates. Doing so will increase innovation and expand the economic pie for everyone.

January 19, 2024|Blogs

China Is Following the Same Path as the Asian Tigers

China has experienced the same growth trend that some of the Asian Tigers have experienced. Only China’s path is about 25 years behind.

June 21, 2023|Events

How Will AI Impact Digital Service Workers in the Global South?

Watch the ITIF Center for Data Innovation event for a discussion about AI, jobs, and digital development in the Global South.

May 3, 2023|Testimonies & Filings

Testimony to the UN’s Economic and Social Council Regarding Science, Technology, and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals

In order to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, we must advance policies that facilitate global trade and innovation to secure access to safe water, clean and affordable energy, and sustainable industrialization.

October 11, 2021|Blogs

Fact of the Week: Rice Farmers in Nigeria Who Adopt Information-Sharing Practices Are 7.6 Percent More Productive

Econometric research found that farmers with access to extension services, where agents visit farmers directly to share new information and technology, were over 18 percent more likely to adopt improved rice varieties than farmers lacking extension services.

July 26, 2021|Blogs

Fact of the Week: Long-Term Digitalization Policy in Kenya Has Accelerated Economic Growth, and It Brought Digital Payment Services to Over 40 Million People In 2020

While there are more advancements to be made, Kenya’s long-term innovation policies for improved digital access prove that digitalization is a force for sustainable economic growth among developing nations.

April 2, 2021|Blogs

A COVID-19 TRIPS Waiver Makes No More Sense for Copyrights Than It Does for Patents

Intellectual property has proved to be indispensable in developing effective vaccines and therapeutics. Nevertheless, advocates have seized the moment to petition the WTO’s TRIPS Council not just to suspend patents, but also to reform national copyright laws governing digital access to knowledge, and data and text mining.

March 9, 2021|Blogs

TRIPS Waiver on COVID-19 IP Rights Wouldn’t Help Vaccine Access; It Would Just Harm Innovation

Amidst an unprecedented pace of innovation, some 90 developing nations, led by India and South Africa, have petitioned the WTO’s TRIPS Council calling for a waiver to suspend all IP rights associated with COVID-19 innovations—again asserting the false narrative that IP rights inhibit access to medicines.

February 22, 2021|Blogs

Fact of the Week: Indian Firms That Collaborated With Foreign Firms to Create One Patent Application Later Applied for More Patents Themselves and Increased Profitability Growth by 28 Percent

When domestic firms collaborate with foreign firms, domestic firms can benefit from knowledge spillovers, which has the potential to improve their performance. This is especially important if the domestic firm is in a developing country, as it allows the firm to “catch up” to world leaders, which boosts economic growth.

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