Showing 1 - 10 of 21
Building capacity where it counts
Oped, Mariana Mazzucato & Rainer Kattel, Published on 06/10/2025
» After years of underinvestment, governments around the world are struggling to keep pace with growing demands. The consequences are now widely evident, as underfunded and unprepared public agencies falter whenever crises strike. The problem is not "slimming" government down, but rather rendering it more capable, strategic, outcome-oriented and a good partner in solving the greatest problems of our time: providing adequate housing for all, strengthening climate resilience and ensuring that technology makes all our lives better, not just a few "bros" richer.
State entities too complex to be treated as startups
Oped, Mariana Mazzucato and Rainer Kattel, Published on 17/04/2025
» Around the world, governments are trying to reinvent themselves in the image of business. Elon Musk's DOGE crusade in the United States is quite explicit on this point, as is Argentina's chainsaw-wielding president, Javier Milei. But one also hears similar rhetoric in the United Kingdom, where Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden wants the government to foster a "test-and-learn" culture and move towards performance-based management.
Resisting digital feudalism in artificial intelligence
Oped, Mariana Mazzucato, Published on 13/02/2025
» This month's AI Action Summit in Paris comes at a critical juncture in the development of artificial intelligence. At issue is not whether Europe can compete with China and the United States in an AI arms race; it is whether Europeans can pioneer a different approach that puts public value at the centre of technological development and governance. The task is to move away from digital feudalism, the term I coined back in 2019 to describe the dominant digital platforms' model of rent extraction.
Growth requires getting PPPs right
Oped, Mariana Mazzucato, Published on 03/01/2025
» The United Kingdom's Labour government has given serious thought to the public investment needed to get the economy back on track after 14 years of austerity, neglect of social infrastructure, and capital flight triggered by Brexit and uncertain economic conditions.
Olympic tiddlywinks
Oped, Postbag, Published on 02/08/2024
» Re: "Hip-hop vibe: Breakers get single shot at glory in Paris", (Sports, July 10).
What local governments need to lead properly
Oped, Mariana Mazzucato & James Anderson, Published on 08/07/2023
» Local governments are manning the front lines of our most important global battles -- from managing severe weather and other climate shocks to preparing for the next pandemic, ensuring health for all, rectifying longstanding racial inequities, and addressing housing affordability. Urban areas now account for over half the world's population, and their governments are uniquely positioned to understand and address their own communities' needs.
How to finance the needs of the common good
Oped, Mariana Mazzucato, Published on 05/05/2023
» The Internationa Monetary Fund (IMPF) and the World Bank recently held their annual spring meetings, which, according to the organisers, produced a "strong message of confidence and a willingness to cooperate". But lofty rhetoric and good intentions will not be enough to create a truly inclusive and sustainable economy fit for the 21st century. For that, deep structural change is needed.
Energy transition confronts reality
Oped, Daniel Yergin, Published on 03/02/2023
» The "energy transition" from hydrocarbons to renewables and electrification is at the forefront of policy debates nowadays. But the last 18 months have shown this undertaking to be more challenging and complex than one would think just from studying the graphs that appear in many scenarios. Even in the United States and Europe, which have adopted massive initiatives to move things along, the development, deployment, and scaling up of the new technologies on which the transition ultimately depends will be determined only over time.
Real social networks coming to an end
Oped, Daron Acemoglu, Published on 09/09/2022
» Not only are billions of people around the world glued to their mobile phones, but the information they consume has changed dramatically -- and not for the better. On dominant social media platforms like Facebook, researchers have documented that falsehoods spread faster and more widely than similar content that includes accurate information. Though users are not demanding misinformation, the algorithms that determine what people see tend to favour sensational, inaccurate and misleading content, because that is what generates "engagement" and thus advertising revenue.
Is there upside to political polarisation?
Oped, Daron Acemoglu, Published on 15/07/2022
» While there are no ironclad laws of politics, two tendencies in the United States -- midterm swings against the incumbent party (the "midterm blues") and the negative electoral effects of inflation and unemployment ("political business cycles") -- come pretty close. US President Joe Biden (whose approval rating has sunk for the past year) and the Democrats should not be surprised if they suffer a massive rout in the 2022 midterm elections.