The Digital Road to Recovery: A Stimulus Plan to Create Jobs, Boost Productivity and Revitalize America

By Robert Atkinson, Daniel Castro and Stephen Ezell
January 07, 2009

As Congress considers a substantial stimulus package to get the economy moving, investing in new economy digital infrastructures will provide significant opportunities not just for short-term stimulus and job creation, but also longer term economic and social benefits. In the report, “The Digital Road to Recovery: A Stimulus Plan to Create Jobs, Boost Productivity and Revitalize America,” ITIF provides a detailed analysis and estimate of the short-term jobs impacts of spurring investment in three critical digital networks: broadband networks, the smart grid (making the electric distribution system intelligent) and health IT, and outlines policy steps to spur this investment.

ITIF finds that investments in America’s digital infrastructure will spur significant job creation in the short run. Specifically, ITIF estimates that spurring an additional investment of $30 billion in America’s IT network infrastructure in 2009 will create approximately 949,000 U.S. jobs.

Read the report

View detailed job estimate calculations

Related Links

Report release event
January 7, 2009
Presentation slides, audio and video from the recent event at the National Press Club to release the report.

Select Media Coverage

A Stimulus Package We Can Believe In
January 7, 2009
Huffington Post

Obama’s Broadband Plan
January 6, 2009
BusinessWeek

A Broadband Stimulus Plan
January 7, 2009
BusinessWeek

The Tech Solution to the Recession
January 6, 2009
Forbes.com

IT Investment Will Create Jobs
January 5, 2009
Wall Street Journal

Innovation Should Mean More Jobs, Not Less
January 3, 2009
New York Times