Courses can, and should, incorporate the excitement and fun of programming games, apps or even real digital devices.

Economies are complex beasts that need people to do an extraordinary range of tasks.

A lot of people in government don't really read books at all.

Democratic nation states remain far more capable of managing the circuit of coercion, taxation and legitimation than any transnational bodies.

Social innovation thrives on collaboration; on doing things with others, rather than just to them or for them: hence the great interest in new ways of using the web to 'crowdsource' ideas, or the many experiments involving users in designing services.

All over the world, social innovation is tackling some of the most pressing problems facing society today - from fair trade, distance learning, hospices, urban farming and waste reduction to restorative justice and zero-carbon housing. But most of these are growing despite, not because of, help from governments.

Cities simply don't have the powers they need to radically innovate in cutting obesity or the number of disaffected teenagers.