Europe should focus on spurring European tech growth

[Commentary] Why isn't Europe able to produce the sort of leading-edge tech companies which seem to routinely come out of the United States, and now, Asia? Where is the European Amazon, Twitter, Samsung or even Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce company that recently had the biggest global initial public offering ever?

Rather than going after American companies, the European Commission and Parliament should focus on policy changes that would spur European technology growth. In particular, Europe would benefit from boosting spending on research and development; improving the climate for entrepreneurship; and encouraging consumers and businesses to use more data.

[Mandel is the chief economic strategist at Progressive Policy Institute]