U.S. economic policymakers face the extraordinary challenge of restoring a recession-ravaged economy while simultaneously re-engineering it to thrive in a world of unprecedented global competition. The path forward toward both ends requires unrelenting focus on what then-Senator Obama called in 2008: "…new policies that create the jobs and opportunities of the future—a competitiveness agenda built upon education and energy, innovation and infrastructure, fair trade, and reform."
But are the executive and legislative branches organized well to produce and execute on a coherent strategy? How do America’s competitors get the job done? How might the President structure policymaking to ensure a coherent and coordinated strategy for long-term, broadly shared prosperity and drive its effective implementation?
On December 1, the Center for American Progress will release a paper urging the federal government to rethink how it develops and coordinates competitiveness policy. We hope you will join us for what promises to be a lively and provocative discussion with those who have held key roles in government and those who seek to influence them on competitiveness policy.
Opening Remarks:
John Podesta, President and Chief Executive Officer, Center for American Progress
Featured speakers:
Chairman Barton Gordon (D-TN), Chair, House Committee on Science and Technology
Mark Anderson, former president, Food and Allied Services Trades, AFL-CIO
Charlene Barshefsky, former U.S. Trade Representative
William Daley, former U.S. Commerce Secretary
Brad Smith, General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Microsoft
Moderated by:
Sarah Rosen Wartell, Executive Vice President, Center for American Progress
For a full transcript click here.