Mission Economy

A powerful intervention, challenging governments to apply the same determination and co-ordination to the problems of society and economy as were once applied to putting men on the moon
The extraordinary efforts that took mankind to the moon 50 years ago were more than a scientific feat of aeronautics. They required new forms of collaboration between the public sector (notably, NASA) and private companies. This book asks- what if the same level of boldness – the boldness that set inspirational goals, took risks and explicitly recognized that this requires large spending but will be worthwhile in terms of long-term growth – was applied to the biggest problems of our time, climate change, disease and inequality, to name only a few? Mariana Mazzucato argues that applying innovation to societal goals and structuring government budgets more explicitly to the long-term, as the moon programme did, we can do government differently.

Author Biography

Mariana Mazzucato (PhD) is Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London (UCL), where she is Founding Director of the UCL Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose (IIPP). She is winner of international prizes including the 2020 John Von Neumann Award, the 2019 All European Academies Madame de Stael Prize for Cultural Values and the 2018 Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought. She was named as one of the ‘3 most important thinkers about innovation’ by the New Republic and one of the 25 leaders shaping the future of capitalism by Wired. Her highly acclaimed book The Entrepreneurial State- Debunking Public vs. Private Sector Myths (2013) investigates the critical role the state plays in driving growth and her book The Value of Everything- Making and Taking in the Global Economy (2018) looks at how value creation needs to be rewarded over value extraction. She advises policy makers around the world on innovation-led inclusive and sustainable growth. Her current roles include being a member of the Scottish Government’s Council of Economic Advisors; the South African President’s Economic Advisory Council; the OECD Secretary General’s Advisory Group on a New Growth Narrative; and the UN’s Committee for Development Policy (CDP). Through her role as Special Advisor for the EC Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, she authored the high impact report on Mission-Oriented Research & Innovation in the European Union, turning “missions” into a crucial new instrument in the European Commission’s Horizon innovation programme.