Dr. Someshwar Rao is the former Director of the Productivity and Competitiveness Analysis Directorate at Industry Canada. Dr. Rao was responsible for research and analysis of issues related to productivity, competitiveness, foreign direct investment, domestic and international trade, multinationals, information and communication technologies and the impact of climate change policy on Canadian industries. He was also in charge of Industry Canada’s Publications Program. Prior to joining Industry Canada, Dr. Rao worked with the Economic Council of Canada, where he played a key role in the preparation of major reports on Canada’s competitiveness and the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement. Dr. Rao also served as the Acting Director of the Canadian Disaggregated Inter-Departmental Econometric model group, responsible for the development of a disaggregated model of Canadian industry and policy. He has published extensively on microeconomic and macroeconomic issues.