Economic historians looking back at this period will be hard pressed to avoid commenting on the influence of at least one data point: from 1980–2005, firms less than five years old accounted for all net job growth in the United States. The notion that what policymakers should focus on is “young” firms not just “small” firms has awakened Democrats and Republicans alike and provided a new strategy for all Americans seeking to create jobs and restore what many Americans perceive as lost US economic competitiveness.
