How can nations cultivate a culture of innovation? feat. Joel Mokyr

Joel discusses the importance of Information and communication technology and its role in economic prosperity. He explores how nations can foster a spirit of tech creativity and emphasizes that it's not merely a financial matter. Joel criticizes the limitations of intellectual property (IP) rights systems but recognizes the flow of knowledge across borders. Using China and India as examples, he explains how they've taken existing Western knowledge and improved on it. Joel argues that to be technologically creative and successful, a society must embrace nonconformity and pluralism, allowing for unconventional ideas to flourish. Using historical examples like the Soviet Union's technological stagnation and Israel's culture of 'thinking outside the box', Joel suggests that autocratic regimes may struggle in the long-term technological race due to the repression of free thinking. He concludes that fostering a culture of tolerating and experimenting with crazy ideas is crucial to technological advancement. Full Episode Link (Part 1): https://youtu.be/iV21apDujg8 (Part 2): https://youtu.be/j-EtfjGJbV0 00:00 The Importance of Tech Creativity in Economic Prosperity 00:40 The Role of Intellectual Property Rights in Tech Creativity 01:14 The Asian Tigers: A Case Study in Tech Creativity 02:26 The Importance of Nonconformity and Pluralism in Tech Creativity 03:02 The Failure of the Soviet Union in Technological Leadership 03:51 The Power of Crazy Ideas in Tech Innovation 04:17 The Potential Downfall of China's Technological Race 04:48 The Role of Free Speech in Tech Creativity 05:07 Israel: A Culture of Nonconformity and Tech Success 06:09 The Importance of Tolerance in Fostering Tech Creativity In this two-part episode of The Great Tech Game podcast, host Anirudh Suri is joined by Joel Mokyr to dig deep into why some societies get rich, creative and successful while others don't. Mokyr and Suri discuss examples of countries that have unshackled themselves from their past, such as 19th century Japan during the Meiji Restoration and the East Asian tigers. They also explore how India can reverse its brain drain and become a tech nation, and not remain just a talent nation. Mokyr highlights the high levels of inequality being driven by the tech economy today, and both draw parallels with pre-WWI Europe and its experience with vast inequality driven by industrial capitalism. Jumping to the modern era, they discuss whether AI represents a new revolution in knowledge, or whether it is just hype. About Joel Mokyr: Joel Mokyr is Professor of Economics and History at Northwestern University. Joel Mokyr conducts research on the economic history of Europe, and specializes in the period 1750-1914. His current research is focused on the understanding of the economic and intellectual roots of technological progress and the growth of useful knowledge in European societies, as well as the impact that industrialization and economic progress have had on economic welfare. #techgameboy #EconomicProsperity#TechCreativity#RnD#IntellectualProperty#PatentSystem#AsianTigers#KnowledgeTransfer#Innovation#SocietyCreativity#Pluralism#Nonconformity#AutocraticRegimes#SovietUnion#TechnologicalLeadership#ChinaTech #Tolerance#InnovativeCulture