At a time when the Donald Trump administration's approach to maintaining American technological leadership is focused on using tariffs to coerce changes in Chinese policy, Andrew B. Kennedy's new book provides an insightful depiction of the complex factors that shape global innovation and the historical evolution of American policy. This book includes some fascinating data on foreign knowledge worker immigration, foreign students, and the globalization of research and development. Its study of the political economy of U.S. policy toward global innovation provides a perceptive analysis of the political forces that have shaped American policy in this contested domain.

The book begins with an interesting description of the development of global innovation, its causes, and consequences. Chapter 2 delineates a theoretical framework for analyzing the politics of global innovation policy in the United States. Chapters 3–5 apply this analytical framework to American policies toward the immigration of skilled workers, openness to foreign students, and the globalization of research and development. The concluding chapter considers the implications of the study for international relations and American policy before briefly speculating on possible future consequences of the Trump administration.

Kennedy's study assembles fascinating data on dif