It would be a mistake to overstate the similarities between the Brexit vote and Trump's win - but there are common themes, not least in the rallying cries that the winning campaigns used. They focused on a supposed economic threat posed by outsiders, as immigrants or as trade partners. This fuelling of anxieties underpinned a narrative centered on the need to "regain control," whether of borders or of economic forces.
Mariana MazzucatoWhile infrastructure is of course important, it must be part of a bigger vision. The point is not to simply dig ditches but to steer those investments towards transformational growth.
Mariana MazzucatoGermany is using its Energiewende policy as a way of envisioning a green transformation and innovation across many sectors.
Mariana MazzucatoWe should be investing where the public returns are greatest - that is in innovation.
Mariana MazzucatoIf we look at the complexity of the challenges facing western societies today, we see that the problems are not really about outsiders, but have their roots much closer to home.
Mariana MazzucatoI often use the iPhone as an example of how governments shape markets, because what makes the iPhone โsmartโ and not stupid is what you can do with it. And yes, everything you can do with an iPhone was government-funded. From the Internet that allows you to surf the Web, to GPS that lets you use Google Maps, to touch screen display and even the SIRI voice activated system - all of these things were funded by Uncle Sam through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), NASA, the Navy, and even the CIA!
Mariana Mazzucato