Aiding the Drivers of Economic Growth

8/14/2019 Aiding the Drivers of Economic Growth

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Discovery consists ofseeing what everybody has seen

and thinking what nobodyhas thought.

KAUFFMAN Thoughtbook2009

E x c E r p t f r o m

Fourth in an ongoing series, the Kauffman Thoughtbook 2009 captures what we arethinking, learning, and discovering about education, entrepreneurship, and advancing

innovation. This collection of more than forty essays is written by the talented KauffmanFoundation associates, partners, and experts who are pursuing the principles and visionset by our founder, Ewing Kauffman.

REQUEST YOUR COMPLIMENTARY COPY AT

kauan.g2008 by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. All rights reserved.


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aiding the Drivers o Econoic GrowthC a R l o S m . G U T I e R R e Z

U.S. Scrtry f Crc

In todys highly copetitive globl econoy, new tools re needed to proote

the innovtion nd entreprenership criticl to dynic growth nd job cretion.

Governents role is to crete the environent or innovtors nd entrepreners

to scceed. This incldes developing pro-growth policies. It lso incldes

developing the strtegic pblic-privte prtnerships tht proote the cretivity

nd dvnces tht contribte to or societys sety, helth, nd prosperity. People

re or ntions gretest sset nd, by cobining the best inds in ll sectors, we

cn dvnce or econoy nd or qlity o lie.

Innovtion nd entreprenership forish when or ntion is open to new people

nd ides nd engges with the world throgh coerce. u.S. intellectl

property tody is worth ore thn $5 trillion. Intellectl property indstries

contribte soe 40 percent o u.S. econoic growth nd represent 18 illion

well-pid workers. It hs been estited tht intellectl property cconts or

bot one-third o the vle o pblicly trded copnies.

Obviosly, innovtion tters to or econoy. Innovtors nd the entrepreners

who develop nd rket new prodcts nd services hve n enoros ipct

on or econoy nd or stndrds o living. We hve ore choices in the

rketplce nd ore ecient processes in or ctories nd oces.

Excerpt ro Kauffman Thoughtbook 2009. 2008 by the Ewing mrion Kn ondtion. all rights reserved.


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Bt how is innovtion esred?

Two yers go, I sked econoists t the u.S. Deprtent o Coerce to nlyze

existing sttisticl esres o innovtion. We discovered tht trditionl innovtion

esreents, sch s the ont spent on reserch nd developent, the nber

o new ptents, nd the nber o engineers, scientists, nd technicins crrently

eployed, provide sel, bt incoplete, innovtion pictre.

Or econoy nd or society re not

sttic, nd or esreents shold not

be either. To refect todys 21st centry

econoy, we need new benchrks

or ller nderstnding o the

ipct o innovtion, nd to help both

governent nd bsinesses identiy nd devise innovtion-prooting policies

tht crete vle nd growth.

We invited bsiness leders nd leding cdeics to prticipte on the advisory

Coittee on mesring Innovtion in the 21st Centry Econoy. Crl Schr,

president nd chie exective ocer o the Ewing mrion Kn ondtion,greed to chir the new Coittee.

In Jnry 2008, the Coittee delivered its report, which will serve s bleprint

or creting new er in innovtion etrics. (To downlod the coittees ll

report, visit kauffman.org/innovation_measurement.)

- a i d i n g t h e D r i v e r s o E c o n o i c G r o w t h -

To relect todys 21stcentry econoy, we neednew benchrks or ller nderstnding o theipct o innovtion . . .


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The Kn ondtion lso joined the Coerce Deprtent in niqe

pblic-privte prtnership to crete n entrepreneril constitency or the tre

by ostering entreprenership in the united Sttes nd rond the world. By creting

two Web sites, entrepreneurship.gov nd entrepreneurship.org, we hope to provide

one-stop resorce to connect, inor, nd give globl entrepreners voice in

policyking tht dvnces econoic growth, spports the rle o lw, nd cretes

new opportnities or u.S. exporters nd or people throghot the world. (Redore bot this eort on pge 182.)

Pblic-privte prtnerships sch s wht we hve with the Kn ondtion

nd ebers o the bsiness nd cdeic conities re helping to provide

the tools nd synergies needed to keep or ntion on the leding edge o

innovtion nd entreprenership in the 21st centry globl econoy.

- a i d i n g t h e D r i v e r s o E c o n o i c G r o w t h -

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Aiding the Drivers of Economic Growth