Fred L. Block, Matthew R. Keller
The worst economic crisis since the Great Depression has generated a fundamental re-evaluation of the free-market policies that have dominated American politics for three decades. State of Innovation brings together critical essays looking at the 'innovation industry' in the context of the current crisis. The book shows how government programs and policies have underpinned technological innovation in the US economy over the last four decades, despite the strength of 'free market' political rhetoric. The contributors provide new insights into where innovations come from and how governments can support a dynamic innovation economy as the US recovers from a profound economic crisis. State of Innovation outlines a 21st century policy paradigm that will foster cutting-edge innovation which remains accountable to the public.
1: Innovation and the Invisible Hand of Government; I: Telling the Stories; I 2: The Military's Hidden Hand; I 3: Political Structures and the Making of U.S. Biotechnology; I 4: To Hide or Not to Hide?; I 5: Green Capitalists in a Purple State; I 6: The CIA's Pioneering Role in Public Venture Capital Initiatives; I 7: DARPA Does Moore's Law; II: Scale, Significance, and Implications; II 8: Where Do Innovations Come From?; II 9: Failure to Deploy; II 10: From Developmental Network State to Market Managerialism in Ireland; II 11: China's (Not So Hidden) Developmental State; II 12: Everyone an Innovator; II 13: The Paradox of the Weak State Revisited; II 14: Avoiding Network Failure
". . . An array of case studies clearly illustrating that, contrary to the dominant rhetoric of market fundamentalism, the federal government is an essential actor in the innovation system. Recommended.”
—CHOICE
"The term `industrial policy´ remains a bugaboo in the United States, even though as this book documents the federal government is one of the world's most activist when it comes to industrial support. The true value of this book resides in the case narratives it presents on a range of successful and unsuccessful public programs. The book is a treasure trove of ideas on how to make the strategic collaboration between private and public work better. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the state of the U.S.
economy and its future prospects.”
—Dani Rodrik, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
"From blockbuster pharmaceutical drugs to jet turbines to microchips, the U.S. government has directly supported some of the key technological drivers of the global economy. The reality, illuminated by this superb collection of case studies, is that America's industrial might is in no small measure a consequence of sustained state investments. State of Innovation strikes a blow against our collective amnesia and free market nostalgias."
—Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger, co-authors, Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility
"Block and Keller dispel the widespread fantasy that governments merely maintain markets as playing fields. This important collection gets inside the reality and leads us toward a sophisticated understanding of market dynamics."
—Nicole Woolsey Biggart, University of California--Davis
Über den Autor
Fred Block is an economic and political sociologist who teaches at the University of California, Davis. His books include, The Origins of International Economic Disorder and Postindustrial Possibilities. He has been studying US innovation policies since 2006 with support from the Ford Foundation. Matthew R. Keller is an Assistant Professor at Southern Methodist University. His research explores shifts in dominant intellectual and political trends and their relation to government organisation and policy.
Klappentext
This volume comprehensively documents, analyses and assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the decentralised set of government agencies and policies at the core of the US innovation economy, and lays the groundwork for a new, forward-looking policy paradigm that fosters both cutting-edge innovation, and remains accountable to the public.
