Publications

Special Reports Building the Next American Century - The Past and Future of American Economic Competitiveness Author: Kent H. Hughes Collaboration between the public and private sectors helped the U.S. economy recover from its last period of economic malaise, and similar collaboration is needed today, according to a key participant in the 1980s–1990s competitiveness movement. In Building the Next American Century, Kent H. Hughes describes that movement, beginning with the conditions that stimulated it: stagflation in the early 1970s, declines in manufactured exports, and challenges from German and Japanese manufacturers. The United States responded with monetary and fiscal reform, technological innovation, and formation of a culture of lifelong learning. Although a great deal of leadership came from government, a new sense of partnership with the private sector and its leaders was crucial. Hughes attributes much of the national prosperity of the late 1990s to contributions from the private sectors. Hughes argues that a twenty-first-century competitiveness strategy with a system-wide approach to innovation, learning, and global engagement can meet today's challenges, even in the demanding environment shaped by national security concerns after 9/11. --- Kent H. Hughes has served as President of the Council on Competitiveness, Associate Deputy Secretary of Commerce, Senior Economist of the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, Chief Economist to Senate Majority Leader Robert C. Byrd, and in a number of other important positions. He is currently director of the Project on Science, Technology, America, and the Global Economy at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Building the Next American Century: The Past and Future of Economic Competitiveness (Woodrow Wilson Press, 2005) Price: $55.00 hardcover; $24.95 paper ISBN 0-8018-8204-4 hardcover; 0-8018-8203-6 paper Distributed by: Johns Hopkins University Press Telephone: 1-800-537-5467 To order this book please visit: http://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title_pages/8814.html Download File (pdf) New Thinking in International Trade: Global Competition and Comparative Advantage Author: Edited by Lynn Sha and Kent H. Hughes The volume features recent work by Nobel Laureate Paul Samuelson and a thought provoking book, Global Trade and Conflicting National Interest by Ralph Gomory, the recently retired director of the Sloan Foundation, and New York University Professor William Baumol. Using different approaches, the three authors point to the ability of public and private sectors to change a country’s comparative advantage in ways that can reduce the gains from trade for the United States or other advanced industrial countries. The volume also features a number of commentators who amplify, complement, or question the importance of the findings of the three authors. The conference on new thinking in international trade was made possible through a generous grant of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Download File (pdf) New Thinking in International Trade: National Strategies to Build Comparative Advantage Author: Edited by Lynn Sha and Kent H. Hughes The second volume notes that several countries are, in fact, working to change their comparative advantage by making investments in education, research and development, and infrastructure. They are also adopting policies that create an environment that encourages private sector investment and risk taking. In discussing how the United States should respond to the shifting comparative advantage of our trading partners, Senators Lamar Alexander and Jeff Bingaman stress the importance of increased investments in the physical sciences and the need to improve mathematics and science education. Other conference participants focus on policies in key regions of the world and still others urge attention to the U.S. current account and fiscal deficits. The conference on new thinking in international trade was made possible through a generous grant of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Download File (pdf) Read Document Online Stakeholders in Student Success: Public-Private Partnerships Strengthening K-12 Education Author: Jacqueline Nader; Edited by Kent Hughes Published in December 2008, this report describes some of the most innovative educational programs in the country, which have succeeded in raising student performance and teacher preparedness. As a particular focus, it highlights those programs that have been effective in motivating minority and female students in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It also presents the perspectives of key leaders in education, including former Congressman Sherwood Boehlert, Congressman Brian Baird, and a group of distinguished classroom teachers. The STAGE Program's focus on education and the completion of this report were made possible through a generous grant from the Petrie Foundation. Download File (pdf) The Browning of Biofuels: Environment and Food Security at Risk Author: C. Ford Runge and Robbin S. Johnson This report, which was published in May of 2008, provides background on the growth and development of the biofuels sector and assesses the impacts of biofuels on food security, economic distortions, and the environment. It concludes with a variety of responses to these consequences. The report was prepared under contract on a consulting basis to the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Download File (pdf) Tools of the Trade: Models for Trade Policy Analysis Edited by Christine McDaniel, Ken Reinert, and Kent Hughes, Tools of the Trade: Models for Trade Policy Analysis was published in January 2008 based on the analysis of experts and policymakers at a conference held on January 22nd and 23rd, 2004, by the Woodrow Wilson Center and the U.S. Department of Commerce. The goal of the “Empirical Trade Analysis Conference: Strengthening Analytical Capabilities to Support Trade Negotiations” was to assess the strengths and weaknesses of economic models and their ability to inform trade policy questions. An event held on January 15th, 2008, "Today's Trade Policy Landscape", launched the report and hosted U.S. Trade Representative Susan C. Schwab. Download File (pdf) The Impact of Trade Liberalization on Poverty On April 15, 2005, the Wilson Center, in conjunction with the U.S. Agency for International Development, hosted four panels of policymakers, academics, and experts to examine the links between trade liberalization and poverty reduction. This report provides a nuanced exploration of the relationship between free trade and the world's poorest peoples. Download File (pdf) NAFTA at 10: Progress, Potential, and Precedents (Volume One) The Wilson Center hosted on December 9, 2002 a major conference reflecting on the first decade of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Volume One of this report provides conference proceedings. Download File (pdf) Brazil's Innovation Challenge A joint online publication from the Brazil Institute and STAGE from the first installment of a two-part conference, in which a distinguished eight-member panel discussed how public policies, governmental institutions and the adoption of intellectual property rights affect efficacy and the use of innovation throughout Brazil’s economy. Download File (pdf) Funding the Foundation: Basic Science at the Crossroads Author: Edited by Kent Hughes and Lynn Sha with Caroline Vazquez Proceedings from a conference with leading experts examining the hugely successful American model of technological and scientific innovation. They stress the importance of government funding of physical science for the realms of national security, education, and industry. Download File (pdf) NAFTA at 10: Progress, Potential, and Precedents (Volume Two) The Wilson Center hosted on December 9, 2002 a major conference reflecting on the first decade of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Volume Two of the conference report features remarks by former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, former President Carlos Salinas of Mexico, and former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney of Canada. Download File (pdf) The Ambassador’s Changing Mission: Commercial Diplomacy in the 21st Century Author: Edited by Carolyn M. Gretzinger and Kent H. Hughes On April 11, 2005, the Wilson Center and the Council of American Ambassadors hosted a day-long conference focused on the challenges of conducting commerical diplomacy in the 21st century. This report features the proposals garnered from the program's esteemed participants for addressing these issues. Download File (pdf) Coordinating Colors: The WTO Green Box and Green Payments in Farm Programs Author: David Minge, edited by Lynn Sha Report examining the conservation and environmental issues in the agricultural subsidies debate at the controversial heart of the WTO Doha Development Round discussions. Download File (pdf) Weighing the Pros and Cons of Globalization Author: Murray Weidenbaum An examination on the costs and benefits of free and open global trade by Murray Weidenbaum, Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professor at Washington University in St. Louis and chairman of the Wiedenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy. These remarks were presented at the Woodrow Wilson Center on March 5, 2003. Download File (pdf) China and the WTO: Domestic Challenges and International Pressures Author: Kent Hughes, Gang Lin, and Jennifer L. Turner Report on a December 11, 2001 Wilson Center Conference focused on three major challenges posed by China’s membership in the WTO: adjust in the rural sector; the impact on China’s state run enterprises; and the myriad adjustments China will make as it meets its WTO obligations. Download File (pdf) The Currency Conundrum Author: Edited by Kent Hughes; Contributors: C. Fred Bergsten, Barry M. Hager, Robert Hormats, Kent Hughes, Adam Posen, Eisuke Sakakibara, Paul Sarbanes, Paula Stern, John Walsh, Norbert Walter, Samuel F. Wells, Jr., On January 11, 2001, the Wilson Center hosted a day-long conference on the world's major currencies, addressing the growing importance of currency values and exchange rates, and analyzing the options for U.S. policy. This conference report features formal presentations, discussions, and analysis from top finance officials, scholars, and experts. Download File (pdf)

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