Mariana Mazzucato Thinks We Need More Moonshots

Mariana Mazzucato, director of the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, joins the podcast to discuss her framework of the "mission economy" – using bold, outcome-oriented public missions (like the Apollo moonshot) to direct innovation and coordinate public-private investment. She also defines state capacity, explains how to prevent top talent from fleeing to the private sector, and challenges the idea that governments are inherently inefficient, pointing to the role of consultants. The conversation covers the public financing of Silicon Valley's foundational algorithms and the history of moonshots.