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Govt Summit to look at public sector as source of innovation

It offers a global platform that brings together experts and specialists to discuss the most relevant issues related to the lives of people.

Dubai — The third Government Summit, which begins tomorrow under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, will offer a new perspective to the government sector, presenting it as more dynamic than the private sector in terms of innovation.

Govt Summit a valuable gathering: Ban Abu Dhabi - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has underlined the importance of the third edition of the Government Summit — which will be hosted by the UAE on 9-11 February — and described the event as a “valuable gathering” that brings together influential policy makers and partners from around the world. “I am delighted to take part in this important Government Summit 2015 hosted by the UAE. I am deeply grateful to the people and leaders of the UAE, particularly the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. “I count on this summit to advance progress in fostering governments that uphold the values of peace, development and human rights while serving the common good,” Ki-moon said. Ki-moon will be one of the keynote speakers on the first day of the summit, which is being held under the patronage of Shaikh Mohammed under the theme ‘Shaping Future Governments’. -Wam

In a workshop on ‘The Entrepreneurial Government’ on the first day of the Summit, Professor Mariana Mazzucato, leading innovation economist, will explain how the government sector acts as the source of innovation. In her recent book, The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Private vs. Public Sector Myths, Mazzucato challenges the image of the public sector as lethargic compared to the dynamic image of the private sector. She cites examples to show how some of the most high-risk and courageous investments that led to revolutions in information technology, biotechnology and nanotechnology, were sparked by public sector institutions.

The third Government Summit, organised under the theme ‘Shaping Future Governments’, offers a global platform that brings together experts and specialists to discuss the most relevant issues related to the lives of people such as health, education and future governments in an effort to create citizen happiness and well-being of the community at all levels.

Mazzucato, professor in the Economics of Innovation in the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) of the University of Sussex,  UK, has substantiated her argument about the public sector as the driving force of innovation, citing examples such as the Internet, which was the outcome of projects funded by US Department of Defense, and GPS which began as a US military programme called Navstar. Even Siri, the iPhone’s voice-recognising personal assistant, is the result of government research project while the touchscreen is the product of research at the University of Delaware funded by the National Science Foundation and the CIA, she states in her book.

Mazzucato will illustrate the practical role governments can adopt to guide the market rather than getting confined to the funding role.

Mariana will also talk about the public sector’s ability to take risks to convert unfeasible ideas to reality. She would argue for new mechanism that allows the public sector to redeem part of the profit from the projects financed by the government.

The summit will be attended by over 3,000 participants. Over 100 high-profile speakers, including world leaders, decision-makers, ministers, CEOs, thought leaders in government innovation, government officials and experts, will share ideas and visions on the future of government services, taking part in more than 50 interactive sessions. — news@khaleejtimes.com