State of innovation: Busting the private-sector myth

Images of tech entrepreneurs such as Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs are continually thrown at us by politicians, economists and the media. The message is that innovation is best left in the hands of these individuals and the wider private sector, and that the state – bureaucratic and sluggish – should keep out. A telling 2012 article in The Economist claimed that, to be innovative, governments must "stick to the basics" such as spending on infrastructure, education and skills, leaving the rest to the revolutionary garage tinkerers. Yet it is ideology, not evidence, that fuels this image. A quick look at the pioneering technologies of the past century points to the state, not the private sector, as the most decisive player in the game. Read the remaining of the article by Mariana Mazzucato at New Scientists here: See also her talk at TEDx Sussex University