HBS Survey Reveals Wide Agreement on Paths Forward to Restore U.S. Competitiveness
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BOSTON—A new Harvard Business School (HBS) survey reveals serious concern about America's competitiveness trajectory, but wide agreement between liberals and conservatives on the policy imperatives that Congress and President Obama should advance following the election. The survey, conducted in September 2012, polled 6,836 HBS alumni, many in top management positions, and 1,025 members of the general public. This is the second annual survey on U.S. competitiveness, following a similar poll in 2011. The research is part of the HBS U.S. Competitiveness Project, a multi-year project started in 2010 to assess structural challenges to the U.S. economy and identify ways that leaders in business, labor, government, and academia can work together to address those challenges. The Project is co-chaired by Professors Michael Porter and Jan Rivkin. "All sides agree that the United States faces existential competitiveness challenges. All sides agree on the basic direction that federal policies need to take. Yet, until now, no progress has been made in Washington. This failure to act is severely damaging America's competitiveness," said Professor Michael Porter. "With the election behind us, the President and the new Congress must act now to restore the United States as a highly productive and efficient business location for firms and workers." Survey Shows Continuing Pessimism about America's Competitiveness Trajectory 58% of alumni business leader respondents expect a decline in U.S. competitiveness over the next three years, with firms in the U.S. less able to compete in the global economy, less able to pay workers good wages and benefits, or both. Pessimism about the trajectory of U.S. competitiveness eased somewhat from the 2011 survey, though opinions diverged along ideological lines: pessimism among strongly liberal business leaders who responded in both years declined from 72% in 2011 to 53% in 2012, while it fell only slightly among strongly conservative business leaders, from 71% in 2011 to 65% in 2012. "It's important to note that the 2012 results show a reduction in pessimism, not optimism in an absolute sense," said Professor Jan Rivkin. "Even among the strongly liberal respondents in 2012, the majority (53%) expect U.S. competitiveness to be worse in three years. They see the boat as sinking more slowly, but still sinking." Wide Agreement on Problems The survey showed wide agreement across ideological lines about America's strengths and weaknesses, as well as agreement between business leaders and the general public. Respondents in both 2011 and 2012 were asked to assess the state and trajectory of 17 elements that drive national competitiveness. Key findings included:
Paths Forward The 2012 survey provides a consensus roadmap for lawmakers to restore competitiveness, with business leaders across the political spectrum showing robust support for seven policy directions:
More than 70% of the general public approved of corporate tax reform. "Our corporate tax code clearly needs to be modernized," said Professor Mihir Desai. "Restructuring the corporate tax toward a broader base, a lower statutory rate, and a more competitive system of taxing foreign profits can benefit both American workers and shareholders." The survey also found wide support among business leaders and the general public for a federal budget compromise involving both revenue increases and spending cuts. "We need both if we want to get the budget on a sustainable path while preserving the investments in basic R&D, infrastructure, and education that underpin competitiveness," said Professor Matt Weinzierl. Business Taking Initiative on Competitiveness and Willing to Do More The survey of business leaders revealed thousands of firms engaged in actions that improve the U.S. business environment, with more willing to consider such actions. Particularly widespread steps by business today were internal training programs, regional initiatives to boost competitiveness, and research collaboratives. When asked about future steps, respondents expressed interest especially in partnerships with community colleges and vocational schools as well as apprenticeships to help train a new generation of workers. "American institutions have tended to operate in silos," said Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter. "But to build business ecosystems that can compete in today's global economy, America needs strong linkages across businesses, educational institutions, nonprofits, and the public sector." Nitin Nohria, Dean of Harvard Business School, summed up his interpretation of the survey findings: "Historically, the United States has always risen to face the nation's greatest challenges. Economically, we face such a challenge today. The message from business and labor to our political leaders is clear: we must make the word ‘compromise’ an honored word in American politics again. As we've found through our work on the U.S. Competitiveness Project, a diverse group of leaders stands ready to support Washington in this effort." The 2012 survey was conducted in collaboration with Abt SRBI and GfK. For more information about the U.S. Competitiveness Project or to schedule an interview with an HBS professor, please contact Calley.Means@edelman.com. |
Jim Aisner
617-495-6157
jaisner+hbs.edu
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