Innovation Files: Where Tech Meets Public Policy

There is a clear linkage between technology and national security, economic strength and social stability. Rob and Jackie sit down with Alex Capri, author of Techno-Nationalism: How It's Reshaping Trade, Geopolitics and Society to discuss how nations leverage technological innovation for national security and stability and how that applies to evolving United States-China competition. MENTIONED * Alex Capri, Techno-Nationalism: How It's Reshaping Trade, Geopolitics and Society [https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Techno-Nationalism%3A+How+It's+Reshaping+Trade%2C+Geopolitics+and+Society-p-9781119766179], (Wiley, December 2024). * Orville Schell and John Delury, Wealth and Power: China's Long March to the Twenty-first Century [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/161758/wealth-and-power-by-orville-schell-and-john-delury/], (Random House, July 2013). * Robert D. Atkinson, “Liberation Day: Explaining Trump’s Tariffs [https://itif.org/publications/2025/04/04/liberation-day-explaining-trumps-tariffs/],” (ITIF, April 2025)

In the inaugural episode of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation's Trade War Podcast, host Stan McCoy discusses recent developments and challenges in global trade policy with Ambassador Susan C. Schwab and Rob Atkinson. The conversation covers the latest U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum, the implications of President Trump's protectionist stance, and the strategic importance of recognizing China as the main adversary. Subscribe and rate The Trade War Podcast: YouTube [https://youtu.be/9txznbuinkQ] | Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/mn/podcast/the-trade-war-podcast-with-stan-mccoy/id1797873379] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/5bEgmtj4DfKWMGYE3d9OcE?si=d158c936b050447b] | Buzzsprout Home [https://tradewarpodcast.buzzsprout.com/]

What is the correct economic strategy for a nation? Rob and Jackie sat down with Marc Fasteau and Ian Fletcher, authors of Industrial Policy for the United States, to discuss how industrial policy, done right, will develop the kind of economy the United States wants. MENTIONED * Marc Fasteau and Ian Fletcher, Industrial Policy for the United States [https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/industrial-policy-for-the-united-states/4B6B8D37A0B1FE5C69B897924977D88B#fndtn-information], (Cambridge University Press, November 2024). * Ian Fletcher, Free Trade Doesn't Work: What Should Replace It and Why [https://www.freetradedoesntwork.com/], (Coalition for a Prosperous America, February 2011). * “Are You a “Marketist” or a “Producerist” on Economic Policy? [https://itif.org/publications/2024/11/15/producerist-economics-quiz/],” (ITIF, December 2024).

Data-informed and evidence-based decision making can drive optimum outcomes in local governments. Rob and Jackie sat down with Rochelle Haynes, managing director of What Works Cities, to discuss how technology and innovation are being used in cities to equitably deliver services and solve problems. RELATED * Rochelle Haynes, “How Cities Can Harness the Power of AI in 2024 [https://whatworkscities.bloomberg.org/news/2321/],” (What Works Cities, 2024) * Ash Johnson. “Balancing Privacy and Innovation in Smart Cities and Communities [https://itif.org/publications/2023/03/06/balancing-privacy-and-innovation-in-smart-cities-and-communities/],” (ITIF, 2023).

Europe has been enormously unsuccessful in creating substantial digital businesses for over three decades. Rob and Jackie sat down with David Evans, chairman of Market Platform Dynamics, to discuss why it’s imperative that Europe ends this ‘digital winter’. MENTIONED * David S. Evans, “Why Europe Must End Its 30-Year Digital Winter to Ensure Its Long-Run Future [https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4799197],” (SSRN, April 2024). * Robert D. Atkinson and David Moschella. Technology Fears and Scapegoats: 40 Myths about Privacy, Jobs, AI, and Today’s Innovation Economy [https://www.amazon.com/Technology-Fears-Scapegoats-Privacy-Innovation/dp/3031523482], (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024).