These points are from an article by Mariana Mazzucato published
in the Observer
on 15 December 2013 called ‘Let's
rethink the idea of the state: it must be a catalyst for big, bold ideas’.
1. The function
of the state in innovation is not to do things better than others are doing,
but to do those things which at present are not done at all.
2. Governments
are capable of dreaming up ‘big mission’ projects like putting a man on the
moon which lead to development of new technologies which otherwise would be
difficult to do.
3. The idea of the government funding the ‘public
good’ must be recognised and acknowledged. Transport, healthcare, research and
education need to be done by government.
4. Pfizer moved its R&D lab from the UK to
Boston because of the £32bn a year that the US NIH spends on biomedical
knowledge.
5. All the
technologies that make the iPhone smart were pioneered by a well-funded US
government: the internet, GPS, touch-screen display and Siri.
6. Public funding
should today be used for new missions around climate change, ageing, inequality
and youth unemployment.
7. A new narrative is needed to describe the role
of government, and its entrepreneurial and risk-taking role should be
acknowledged and appreciated by finding ways of it benefitting from its
investments.
8. Recent successes with BBC’s iPlayer and Government
Digital Services’s website show what can be achieved when brains and knowledge
operates within the government sector.
9. Competences and dynamism must be developed
within the public sector rather than taking the mindset of axing as much as
possible.
10. The ability
of government to do ‘big’ things must be recognised and that means forward-thinking
public spending is crucial for a creative, prosperous society.
You may also wish to see related articles Top
10 Topical Issues in Commercial Biotech and Problems
of Patenting and Commercialising University Research.
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