Innovation and Productivity: What’s the Relationship and How Does it Happen?

In a featured presentation at the ATSE Forum, Rob Atkinson stresses the relationship between innovation and productivity. All nations need an innovation-productivity strategy because addressing complex and systemic challenges–such as achieving affordable health care, combating global climate change, achieving sustainable energy production, deploying digital infrastructure, etc.–requires coordinated strategies leveraging the resources of firms, government, academia. And, in contrast to what the conventional neo-classical economic doctrine holds, markets alone will produce societally sub-optimal levels of innovation.