News & Updates

Global economic and geopolitical uncertainty is no longer episodic; it has become structural. Non-financial U.S. corporations are holding approximately $7.9 trillion in liquid assets — roughly 12 percent of their total — a level that reflects elevated interest rates and heightened risk sensitivity rather than capital scarcity.1 At the same time, traditional pathways for deploying […]

Recent data on global manufacturing output spotlights a stark reality: China now accounts for 35 percent of the world’s manufacturing, nearly three times the United States’ share. The remaining 53 percent is spread across the rest of the world. This concentration is of strategic significance. Manufacturing underpins innovation ecosystems, supply chain resilience, national security, and […]

Dear Council on Competitiveness Community, In this season of Thanksgiving, the Council team is grateful for so much — starting with our members and the broader Council community. Because of you, the Council has had the opportunity to engage in and lead some of the most important policy conversations facing our nation for nearly 40 […]

Reflections from the Global Federation of Competitiveness Board Council Meeting at the University of Pittsburgh When I stood before the global federation of competitiveness leaders gathered at University of Pittsburgh last month, I opened with three numbers that frame our current reality: One trillion dollars in global AI infrastructure investment over the next two years. […]

Dear Council on Competitiveness Community, We are less than two months out from the Council’s premier annual gathering — our 2025 Gala Dinner and National Competitiveness Forum (NCF) — which is coming together as a truly extraordinary event. I am excited to share more soon about the agenda — and special guests. This year’s NCF […]

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) data underscore a pivotal trend in the global race for innovation leadership. In 2023, the United States invested $823 billion in research and development (R&D) — the largest total globally — but China is rapidly closing the gap, reaching $781 billion and growing nearly twice as fast (8.9 […]

Dear Council on Competitiveness Community, We are in the homestretch for 2025. As past newsletters have demonstrated, 2025 has been incredibly productive. And with just three months ahead of us this year, much more is still to come. In particular, the team and I are excited to deliver the 2025 gala dinner and National Competitiveness […]

The numbers tell a stark story: China now graduates roughly 1.25 million engineersand computer scientists annually—five times the U.S. total of 250,000. Over just twodecades, China’s output of bachelor’s degrees in these fields increased tenfold,master’s degrees by 15 times, and doctorates by 20 times. Meanwhile, U.S. growthhas been comparatively modest, widening the domestic gap in […]

The regulation of public utilities is an arcane art practiced in the U.S. at the state and federal government levels. Public utilities, also called public service companies, include such vital infrastructure industries as electricity, natural gas distribution and water. These private companies are granted monopoly franchises to serve specified communities. In return for the monopoly […]

Dear Council on Competitiveness Members and Friends, For four decades, an extraordinary group of members and leaders have defined, strengthened and stretched the Council on Competitiveness—a tradition that continues as we welcome our next Chair. The Council’s Board and Executive Committee have unanimously elected Mr. J. Erik Fyrwald, CEO of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. […]