Domestic Policy Review of Industrial Innovation

Domestic Policy Review of Industrial Innovation Work Plan," The Domestic Council, The White House, September 18, 1978. 

Last May, President Carter charged the Department of Commerce with the responsibility for spearheading a multi-agency, cabinet-level, Domestic Policy Review of Industrial Innovation. 

An outgrowth of the Carter Administration Domestic Policy Review of Industrial Innovation, this document seeks to clarify Department of Justice policy on collaboration among firms In research to make certain that the antitrust laws are not "mistakenly understood to prevent cooperative activity."... 

Useful report on the substance and political background of President Carter s initiatives relating to his domestic policy review of industrial innovation. While some of the measures received fairly universal approval, e.g., in the patent area, considerable disappointment was expressed In industrial circles that no tax measures were proposed to "address the disincentives to capital formation."... 

Some hopes were raised last year when President Carter requested a Cabinet-Level Coordinating Committee to undertake a Domestic Policy Review of Industrial Innovation. Industry, labor, and public Interest groups participated In Task Forces charged with developing recommendations for public policies to stimulate Innovation. These were presented nine months ago and since then federal agencies have debated their merits and have brought their own recommendations forward. The action now... 

Since that time, some important work has been concluded. In early 1979, as part of the Domestic Policy Review on Industrial Innovation undertaken by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the MIT Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA) undertook a systematic structuring of the effects of environmental/ safety regulation on innovation, citing support for different effects from the existing work. (3)... 

Now let me turn to the Domestic Policy Review on Industrial Innovation. This Review was directed by Stuart Eisenstat on behalf of the President on May 9, 1978. Contrary to statements made earlier in this session, we do not view the Domestic Policy Review as having reached a conclusion on April 1, 1979. Rather, on that date we will have presented to the President certain options which he can exercise with a view of improving the situation with respect to the ability of firms to innovate, but there will be required careful attention to the implementation and evaluation of those options as a follow-on to the Presidential decision. Further, we expect that there are likely to be a number of areas identified where consensus cannot be reached and further research will be necessary before decisions can be made with respect to the undertaking of certain steps. 

Recognizing the need to stimulate innovation, the White House in April 1978 initiated a Domestic Policy Review on Industrial Innovation, coordinated by the Department of Commerce. Results of that review were sent to Congress by President Carter on October 31,1979. Proposed action to stimulate innovation is also evident in the form of several bilk before Congress. We look forward to even more action and indeed one purpose of this volume is to keep industrial innovation at the fore. 

Speaking of national level policies regarding innovation, very important study on the subject was completed this summer Domestic Policy Review on Industrial Innovation by the Commerce Department, for President Carter. This was a massive undertaking with a substantial input from some of the best talent we have in our companies. 

The third piece under "what is known" is entitled THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH DOMESTIC POLICY REVIEW STUDIES ON INDUSTRIAL INNOVATION A SUMMARY AND PRELIMINARY EVALUATION. The major purpose of this collection of reprinted materials is to make available in condensed form to the Members of Congress and the SSEC, the key input documents to the Administration s Domestic Policy Review. (Any evaluation will be preliminary and restricted to materials publicly available at the time.)... 

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