It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…

— Theodore Roosevelt, Address at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 1910

What is In the Arena?

In the Arena is a publication about the policy ideas shaping our times, some for the better, many for the worse—and a precious few that haven’t yet taken hold, but should.

In the Arena provides insights and commentary for those who are tired of groupthink and posturing in Washington, DC, and hungry for new analysis, ideas, and proposals that are grounded in data, logic, and critical thinking instead of rehashed ideological shibboleths from the right and left.

The ideological North Star for In the Arena is national developmentalism: an economic doctrine that jettisons neoliberalism and neo-New Dealism in favor of an active role for government in supporting and enabling business-led innovation, productivity, and competitiveness to spur U.S. economic growth and industrial development. This agenda is especially important if America is to avoid succumbing to China’s techno-economic aggression.

In the Arena is authored by Robert D. Atkinson, founder and president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the leading think tank for science and technology policy. In the Arena started as an ITIF blog and continues to be published on ITIF’s website and distributed along with ITIF’s many other publications in its weekly email newsletter.