Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism

Written by Mariana Mazzucato

Narrated by Lexie McDougall

Longlisted for the 2021 Porchlight Business Book Awards, Big Ideas & New Perspectives

“She offers something both broad and scarce: a compelling new story about how to create a desirable future.”—New York Times

 An award-winning author and leading international economist delivers a hard-hitting and much needed critique of modern capitalism in which she argues that, to solve the massive crises facing us, we must be innovative—we must use collaborative, mission-oriented thinking while also bringing a stakeholder view of public private partnerships which means not only taking risks together but also sharing the rewards. 

Capitalism is in crisis. The rich have gotten richer—the 1 percent, those with more than $1 million, own 44 percent of the world's wealth—while climate change is transforming—and in some cases wiping out—life on the planet. We are plagued by crises threatening our lives, and this situation is unsustainable. But how do we fix these problems decades in the making? 

Mission Economy looks at the grand challenges facing us in a radically new way. Global warming, pollution, dementia, obesity, gun violence, mobility—these environmental, health, and social dilemmas are huge, complex, and have no simple solutions. Mariana Mazzucato argues we need to think bigger and mobilize our resources in a way that is as bold as inspirational as the moon landing—this time to the most ‘wicked’ social problems of our time.. We can only begin to find answers if we fundamentally restructure capitalism to make it inclusive, sustainable, and driven by innovation that tackles concrete problems from the digital divide, to health pandemics, to our polluted cities. That means changing government tools and culture, creating new markers of corporate governance, and ensuring that corporations, society, and the government coalesce to share a common goal.

We did it to go to the moon. We can do it again to fix our problems and improve the lives of every one of us. We simply can no longer afford not to. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Mar 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063046252

Mariana Mazzucato

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 Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose (IIPP). She is the winner of international prizes including the 2018 Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought and the 2020 John von Neumann Award. Her award winning books include The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs. Private Sector Myths (2013) and The Value of Everything: Making and Taking in the Global Economy (2018). She advises global policy makers and is Chair of the World Health Organization’s Council on the Economics of Health for All and a member of the UN’s High-level Advisory Board (HLAB) on Economic and Social Affairs. 

Reviews for Mission Economy

[Victor Vicus Casillas · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Imminent reading to build the new institutions for the future.

[the7ken7petersen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a brilliant book which builds upon the work of Kate Rayworth. It is written in a manner that is readily understandable by a person, such as myself, with very little economics education. I have no doubt as to the need for changes such as Mariana Mazzucato advocates. I have no doubt that, were people to read this book, most would agree with the premise: the only problem that I foresee is that our British political system is built to ensure that change is kept to the minimum. The two major parties are more interested in retaining the status quo than improving the lot of the general public and any change to their cosy partnership will take a protracted fight.

[paulkeller_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I found this quite disappointing. Does not seem to add much to her previous body of work. This might be a good entry point for someone who is new to her arguments but for someone who has read the previous 2 books and her contributions to policy processes this does not add much

[paul_s-289480 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Pure hot air. The author claims to be part of many governmental organisation advisory committees presumably offering the same kind of platitudes and inspirational cheer leading that we can save the world through government control. Despite the author's wishful thinking government decree is not a substitute for rule of law and culture of trust.