Innovation and Public Policy

“In advanced economies like the United States, innovation has long been recognized as a central force for increasing socioeconomic prosperity and improving human health. Today, U.S. government policy seeks to promote innovation through a suite of mechanisms, from tax credits in the private sector to grant support for basic research, and from institutions like the Small Business Innovation Research program to the National Science Foundation. This book surveys key dimensions of innovation policy, synthesizing the latest empirical and conceptual research. It further investigates specific, actionable mechanisms that can accelerate innovative activity. The volume is organized in five parts. Part I considers the social returns to innovation investment and the case for public support of innovative activity. Part II examines human capital policy and mechanisms to expand the pool of innovative labor, including through schooling and immigration policy. Part III examines scientific grant systems for funding basic research, including the roles of institutions like the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, and investigates how policies can promote scientific breakthroughs. Part IV turns to tax policy, considering both “direct” tax mechanisms, like R&D tax credits, and “indirect” tax effects through corporate and personal income taxes. Part V considers entrepreneurship policy, focusing on how governments can effectively encourage new venture creation. Integrating across the chapter contributions, Innovation and Public Policy is original and distinctive on several dimensions. First, the chapters draw together the latest empirical evidence in each of their subject areas. Second, the chapters provide up-to-date analyses of innovation institutions and policy, including the conceptual frameworks and institutional designs that guide their action, grounded in the latest research literature. Third, and based in these new understandings, the chapters offer concrete steps and actionable ideas that can increase innovative activity and further unleash the potential of scientific and technological advance. The introductory chapter provides an overview of these contributions and synthesizes key insights and implications for policy”–