By Charles Hilu,The Dispatch

Copyright thedispatch

The U.S. dominates the world’s list of the most valuable companies. Indeed, of the top 20 publicly traded companies today by market cap, 17 are American. This reality—derived partly from policy and partly from lucky historical circumstances—is an economic boon for our country, improving the lives of Americans across the socioeconomic spectrum. That more valuable companies are founded and grown in the U.S. than in other countries is no surprise; the U.S. is the world’s richest large country, and its largest rich country. That said, the share of the world’s greatest companies that call the United States home is disproportionate, even accounting for its size and wealth. Understanding why this is the case is crucial to ensuring that it remains so.