About this event

Mariana Mazzucato is one of the most influential—and for some, the “scariest”—economists in the world.

In her latest book, Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism, Mazzucato argues that capitalism is stuck. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, it had no answers to a host of problems, including disease, inequality, the digital divide and, perhaps most concerningly, the environmental crisis. Mazzucato argues that governments and other public sector institutions must play a critical role—in partnership with the private sector and engaged citizens—in leading missions to tackle the grand challenges of our times.

A Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London (UCL) and a 2020 SFU honorary degree recipient, Mazzucato advises policymakers around the world on innovation-led, inclusive and sustainable growth. She and her team at UCL’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP) have been hired by the Government of British Columbia to advise on a long-term economic plan that will steer the province through the post-pandemic era.

Mazzucato will challenge us to reconceptualize value and think about how mission-oriented innovation could contribute to British Columbia’s unique economic context. The lecture will be followed by a conversation and audience Q&A moderated by Stephanie Bertels, Director of SFU Beedie’s Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability.

Mariana Mazzacuto

Mariana Mazzucato (PhD) is Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London (UCL), where she is Founding Director of the UCL Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose (IIPP). She received her BA from Tufts University and her MA and PhD from the Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research. Her previous posts include the RM Phillips Professorial Chair at the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at Sussex University. She is a selected fellow of the UK’s Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) and of the Italian National Science Academy (Lincei).

Mariana is winner of international prizes including the 2020 John von Neumann Award, the 2019 All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values, and the 2018 Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought. She was named as one of the "three most important thinkers about innovation" by The New Republic, one of the 50 most creative people in business in 2020 by Fast Company, and one of the 25 leaders shaping the future of capitalism by WIRED.

She is the author of three highly-acclaimed books: The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs. Private Sector Myths (2013), which investigates the critical role the state plays in driving growth; The Value of Everything: Making and Taking in the Global Economy (2018), which looks at how value creation needs to be rewarded over value extraction; and the newly released Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism (2021).

She advises policymakers around the world on innovation-led inclusive and sustainable growth. Her current roles include being Chair of the World Health Organization’s Council on the Economics of Health for All and a member of the Scottish Government’s Council of Economic Advisors, the South African President’s Economic Advisory Council, the OECD Secretary General’s Advisory Group on a New Growth Narrative, the UN High Level Advisory Board for Economic and Social Affairs, Argentina’s Economic and Social Council, Vinnova’s Advisory Panel in Sweden, and Norway’s Research Council. Previously, through her role as Special Advisor for the EU Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation (2017-2019), she authored the high-impact report on Mission-Oriented Research & Innovation in the European Union, turning “missions” into a crucial new instrument in the European Commission’s Horizon innovation program.

Stephanie Bertels

Dr. Stephanie Bertels is the VanDusen Professor of Sustainability and the Director of the Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability at SFU's Beedie School of Business. Stephanie is also the founder of the Embedding Project, a public-benefit research collaborative that develops practical tools to help companies embed social and environmental factors across their operations and decision-making. She regularly advises global companies and their boards on issues related to strategy, governance, and environmental and social sustainability.

This lecture is co-produced by SFU Public Square and SFU Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability.