Thomas Friedman tells us the world is flat, but national policies still matter for companies of all sizes looking to innovate and compete in the global marketplace.

Yesterday we released a paper today entitled "National Policies as Platforms for Innovation: Reconciling a Flat World with Creative Cities." We announced it during an Washington event entitled

The study analyzes some leading theories of innovation policy, including those of Thomas Friedman, author of "The World is Flat" and of Richard Florida, author of "The Rise of the Creative Class." Our authors, Steve DelBianco and Braden Cox, found merit in both the flat world and making cities attractive to creative people theories, but conclude that they miss the essential role of specific national policies in promoting an ecosystem for innovation.

Thee study identifies three national policies – robust intellectual property protection, market-based international trade, and objective competition regulation that are critical to creating a better ecosystem for innovative companies. The study was authored by Steve DelBianco and Braden Cox of ACT.