---
title: "The Entrepreneurial State and Why It Matters"
summary: |-
  The conventional view of what governments should do to foster innovation is simple: get out of the way. But economist Mariana Mazzucato argues that view is as wrong as it is widespread. In countries that owe their growth to innovation, she says the state has served not as a meddler in the private sector but as a key partner—and often a more daring one, willing to take the risks that businesses won’t. She discussed her ideas following a presentation and panel discussion at ITIF which also featured William Janeway and Sidney Winter.
date: "2015-04-01"
issues: ["National Competitiveness"]
canonical_url: "https://itif.org/media/entrepreneurial-state-and-why-it-matters/"
---

# The Entrepreneurial State and Why It Matters

The conventional view of what governments should do to foster innovation is simple: get out of the way. But economist Mariana Mazzucato argues that view is as wrong as it is widespread. In countries that owe their growth to innovation, she says the state has served not as a meddler in the private sector but as a key partner—and often a more daring one, willing to take the risks that businesses won’t. She discussed her ideas following a presentation and panel discussion at ITIF which also featured William Janeway and Sidney Winter.

Visit [Mariana's site](http://marianamazzucato.com/).Read ["The Innovative State" in Foreign Affairs](http://fam.ag/1xVSR4r)

---
*Source: Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF)*
*URL: https://itif.org/media/entrepreneurial-state-and-why-it-matters/*