The world needs to improve productivity - if we are to raise living standards, feed the world and avoid water and fuel shortages. Yet, governments seem unable to do this - productivity has been at best sluggish over the last 10 years.
Some governments - rightly - see a link between innovation and productivity - but then they go too far in thinking that increased R&D spending will improve innovation.
innovation is not invention - innovation is more concerned with identifying new uses for today's (and even yesterday's) technologies.
So ,yes, we need to improve innovation .
But no, R&D spending is not the way to do it.
I am not advocating spending less on R&D - invention is also important - but we need to look more at how we create the conditions in which people think differently - education, training, induction, empowerment - some of these are government responsibilities, others are for the private sector to work on.
Some governments - rightly - see a link between innovation and productivity - but then they go too far in thinking that increased R&D spending will improve innovation.
innovation is not invention - innovation is more concerned with identifying new uses for today's (and even yesterday's) technologies.
So ,yes, we need to improve innovation .
But no, R&D spending is not the way to do it.
I am not advocating spending less on R&D - invention is also important - but we need to look more at how we create the conditions in which people think differently - education, training, induction, empowerment - some of these are government responsibilities, others are for the private sector to work on.
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