About
The mission of the Resilient World Systems program at Open Markets is to develop and advocate for policies that ensure the security, independence, and prosperity of the people of the United States and of all peoples around the world. It is based on the belief that the stability of the world’s industrial, financial, communications, and political systems requires careful coordinated management by national governments.
Over the last generation, the United States and its allies allowed super-large corporations and mercantilist nations to concentrate power and control within these systems in ways that have created many grave economic and political dangers. One result is that many of these systems are now subject to cascading and potentially catastrophic crashes and severe shortages even of vital goods such as foods and medical supplies. A second result is a breakdown of international cooperation and a growing number of cross-border industrial conflicts. Other results include the manipulation of vital news and information, the disruption of democratic debate, and the choking off of climate-friendly technological innovations.
Open Markets is recognized around the world as a pioneer in the study and design of resilient and open international systems. Over the years, our work has deeply shaped thinking among officials in the United States, Europe, Japan, and China, as well as in the IMF and World Bank. Our new partnership with the OECD resulted in the important transatlantic conference Shock Proof to discuss the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Publications
Transportation analyst Arnav Rao argues that Donald Trump’s promise to revive U.S. shipbuilding has unraveled amid leadership failures, bureaucratic dysfunction, and neglect of the nation’s maritime industrial base—leaving America’s shipyards weaker and less prepared for economic and national security challenges.
Industrial policy program manager Audrey Stienon offers the analysis on Trump’s trade coercion amplifying Big Tech’s long-standing use of trade policy to erode national sovereignty and entrenches corporate power over global digital regulation.
Transportation analyst Arnav Rao argues that Trump’s push to revive U.S. shipbuilding has more substance than his usual policy swings, since the industry is vital to national security and enjoys rare bipartisan support. Still, Rao notes that America’s shipyards remain plagued by delays, high costs, and dependence on foreign-built vessels — meaning any true revival would require a coordinated, large-scale effort reminiscent of the Liberty ship program of World War II.
Transportation analyst Arnav Rao writes that Union Pacific’s proposed merger with Norfolk Southern would dangerously consolidate the U.S. freight rail industry—threatening service reliability, competition, and the nation’s economic resilience under the guise of efficiency.
In July, Tongsang, the South Korean trade magazines, featured an interview with Audrey Stienon, OMI’s industrial policy program manager, as part of the cover story on digital trade. The following is the full text of that interview.
Transportation analyst Arnav Rao argues that restoring the Jones Act and enforcing antitrust laws are essential to reviving American shipbuilding and reducing dependence on foreign shipping cartels .
The Washington Monthly published a timely cover story by Phillip Longman, which challenges the dominant political narratives about how to rebuild America's industrial strength, arguing that both Republican and Democratic strategies miss a crucial, historically-proven ingredient: market-shaping regulation.
Senior legal analyst Daniel Hanley and industrial policy program manager Audrey Stienon provide insight that to achieve democratic and resilient economies during periods of transition, governments must integrate competition policy into industrial strategy to prevent monopolies, curb corporate resistance to change, and ensure broad, equitable market outcomes.
A report by transportation policy analyst Arnav Rao and corresponding feature article in The Atlantic, exposes alarming decline in U.S. Maritime power and how to build it back.
Transportation analyst Arnav Rao warns that decades of deregulation and offshoring have left the U.S. dangerously dependent on foreign-controlled ocean shipping, calling for urgent policy reforms to rebuild domestic maritime strength, protect national security, and stabilize the economy.