There is a lot of flesh to be put on the bones - but there is at least an opening for a more pragmatic, less ideological debate about how to build economies that work for people, within the limits of our planet.
Mariana MazzucatoFixing markets isn't enough. We have to actively shape and create them and tilt the playing field in the direction of the growth we want.
Mariana MazzucatoToo many politicians seem to reach for 'infrastructure' as the default answer to investment, as if roads and bridges were the answer to everything. Even the IMF and the World Bank seem to mainly offer infrastructure spending as an alternative to austerity, although they are right to focus on the need for investment.
Mariana MazzucatoWe should be investing where the public returns are greatest - that is in innovation.
Mariana MazzucatoIt's important that public funds be spent in research directions that are pushing market frontiers rather than working in existing areas. This means funding research not only on drugs but also on areas like life-style changes, even if the profit potential is lower for Big Pharma as you cannot sell that change as you can sell a medicine.
Mariana Mazzucato