"Ideal policymaking is about removing as many bottlenecks as possible [...] to shape and accelerate the path of technology."
What It’s About
Stapp and Watney argue that American institutions are increasingly impeding innovation. Transformative technologies that are waiting to be unleashed are stuck in a morasse of bureaucratic bloat, polarized politics, and poor governance.
Stapp and Watney introduce the Institute for Progress (IFP), their organization and a think tank dedicated to accelerating scientific, technological, and industrial advancement.
Upshot
Stapp and Watney argue that:
- Bad institutions strangle innovation: Regulatory hurdles, such as environmental vetoes points that block green new deal projects or an FDA approval process that requires years for medical breakthroughs to make it to market, have undermined America's capacity to capitalize on groundbreaking scientific discoveries
- Progress must be our first priority: The policy world needs to redirect attention from headline-grabbing ideological battles toward underappreciated but solvable issues like revising outdated scientific funding models, removing barriers to global talent through immigration reform, and building proactive biosecurity infrastructure
- Only America can anchor global innovation: As the world’s largest liberal democracy, the U.S. has a unique role in shaping technology’s trajectory and the responsibility to ensure innovation aligns with democratic values rather than authoritarian interests
Why It Matters
Policy choices shape progress and right now, we’re choosing stagnation. Stapp and Watney zero in on nonpartisan fixes that could put us on the path of progress.
Who Wrote It
Alec Stapp is co-founder and co-CEO of the Institute for Progress.
Caleb Watney is co-founder and co-CEO of the Institute for Progress.
