A Question to the American Presidential Hopefuls….

Posted by KAlley on 26/05/08

Obama, Clinton, McCain…Blair, Merkel, Rasmussen, Juncker…no doubt about it, 2009 will be a year of political change, new faces, new offices, and new policies on both sides of the Atlantic.  European policymakers continue to talk about reviving the so-called ‘Lisbon Agenda’ and an array of new proposals and grant programs to kick start research and development and European innovation emanate from the Commission on what seems a weekly basis.  The Competitiveness Council, which will meet on May 29 - 30, has put various ’innovation industrial policies’ such as the new Lead Market Initiative and the siting of a new European Institute for Innovation and Technology at the top of their agenda.  

Given the integration of the transatlantic economy and the number of innovative companies with deep roots in both markets, it’s important that policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic not develop new policies and regulations in isolation.  So, with America’s economy and stock markets continuing to give everyone heartburn; it makes me wonder what America’s Presidential hopefuls are thinking when it comes to fostering an innovative economy?  Does anyone know?  It would be easy to say “of course the U.S. candidates support innovation–who doesn’t” —  but does that mean they are prepared to champion the policies that turn election promises into action?

Innovation
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3 Responses to A Question to the American Presidential Hopefuls…. »»

  1. Pierre-Antoine Rousseau
    Comment by Pierre-Antoine Rousseau | 2008/05/26 at 12:01:54

    Hi! Interesting point. By the way, do US candidates already express their position toward external policy and especially the EU?

  2. Gary Litman
    Comment by Gary Litman | 2008/05/26 at 17:31:41

    Actually, on the innovation support, the top economic advisors to McCain, Clinton and Obama recently fielded tough questions from the business community. The campaign teams are beginning to get the message that whatever domestic economic policies the winners pursue, they have to remember how tightly entertwined the US economy is with Europe’s, and look for solutions that are compatible. We will see what happens at the US-EU Summit on June 10 and what kind of legacy the next administration will have to deal with. Both sides need new ideas.

  3. Joe Noory
    Comment by Joe Noory | 2008/06/04 at 18:38:13

    Pierre-Antoine: there is no tangible EU transatlantic policy. As much as people say that it fits a model, etc., there isn’t. In fact many of us Americans are waiting for the day when they stop vassilkating between being a loose transnational miasma, and something we’re supposed to respect and actually be something like a nation with policies and stop being so passively-aggressive and obsessed with PR.

    As for economy, I’d look to broader global weakening father than just the US’. The difference with the American economy is that it is more widely covered and analyzed to the broader public. That leaves the perverse impression that there is nothing to worry about in the EU. The EU-3/-5/-27 has a generalized unemployment rate nearly twice that of north America’s, and really isn’t very proactive when it comes to the kind of economic flexibility that adapts to cyclical economic change.

    In fact looking to the US presidential hopefuls for a view on transatlantic policy speaks to a kind of timidness and learned helplessness not exactly befitting the world’s largest economic entity with 450+ million people.
    The Presidential candidates do not need your vote - they aren’t going to expend any effort on transatlantic interests right now. They might try to tailor an international sounding message of sorts, but it would be in the interest of showing one-thing-or-another to their potential electors and little else from now until January.


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