New 6-week Innovation in Government short course from @iipp-ucl.bsky.social—teaching the key building blocks, tools and knowledge needed to make mission-oriented government work in practice.

Welcome the UK's introduction of a Public Interest Test for procurement contracts over £1m and requiring "insourcing" strategies from larger departments.

It’s out! I’m deeply proud and grateful for this book — especially for the chance to collaborate with such brilliant & bold minds. Here’s to hoping its ideas spark fresh conversations and inspire meaningful change in our field. #economics #eurocentrism #decolonisation

Inspiring to see President Lula da Silva of Brazil and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of Spain lead a coalition defending multilateralism and international law against Trump's war on Iran.

💪 On #InternationalWomensDay, we celebrated the women economists shaping more inclusive and sustainable economies. SEA is proud to bring together women economists and policymakers to connect new economic thinking with real-world change. 🔗 Learn more about SEA's mission here: buff.ly/XXjI7kC

Standard economic frameworks treat culture as peripheral—something to fund when budgets allow, cut when times are tight. Brazil and London's Notting Hill Carnivals, demonstrate why this is wrong. Culture creates dynamic public value that conventional metrics systematically miss.

As consumers struggled to pay their bills during the energy crisis of 2022, fossil fuel companies earned $916 billion in profits. Tonight, I will be a discussant at LSEEI for a timely talk by Gregor Semieniuk on who's winning as energy prices soar, and who stands to lose from a low-carbon transition

Workers take risks. Taxpayers fund breakthroughs. Yet the rewards flow elsewhere. Spoke today at ILO Innovation Day about what it would take to change that.

See you this evening!

New working paper with @rainerkattel.bsky.social: The critical question isn't the size of the state—it's the capabilities of the state.

New working paper with @rainerkattel.bsky.social: governments are stuck using frameworks designed to fix market failures. But climate, inequality and technological transformation require shaping collective futures—not patching up existing ones.

In 2024, PM Mia Amor Motley & I convened a dialogue on the Economics of the Common Good w/ the late Pope Francis in the Vatican. Last week, met w/ Pope Leo XIV w/ whom we will continue to implement Common Good Economics. My next book, The Common Good Economy (out June 2026) develops this framework.

5 days left to apply! The UCL IIPP Strategic Economics Alliance (SEA) is hiring a Programme Manager to advance our work on industrial strategy, green finance, and new development theories with our partners around the world.

New working paper with @rainerkattel.bsky.social: Market-Shaping States.

🚨New report out today.🚨 If we want fewer families facing homelessness, we need to be honest about what works... and what doesn’t. Our new report looks at the evidence behind housing policy and why social housing is key to ending the housing emergency. 🗝️ Read the full report: shltr.org.uk/ifWuB

Just back from Rio, Brasília & Salvador launching @iipp-ucl.bsky.social Carnival Economics project w Brazil's Ministry of Culture. Carnival isn’t a one-off event—it’s a year-round production economy. A case study on how culture, identity & joy sit at the centre of what a creative economy should be.

On our final day in Brazil had the privilege of sitting down with the legendary Gilberto Gil — Bossa nova, Samba, Tropicália pioneer and former Minister of Culture.

Health is not a by-product of economic growth. It is a fundamental human right & ultimate goal of economic activity. As the WHO Council on the Economics of Health For All argued, achieving #HealthForAll requires redesigning how we value, finance & innovate for health, & state capacity to deliver it.

When the state socialises risks through public funding, the public must share in the rewards. The task for Trump is not to abandon industrial strategy or to reactively take equity stakes but to learn what went right and wrong in Silicon Valley. Read here ➡️ open.substack.com/pub/marianam...

Carnaval is where identity, belonging, dignity and collective futures are made visible—mobilising labour systems, skills pipelines and supply chains year-round. We must learn to value the immense creative work and knowledge that goes into it.

Salvador’s ‘blocos afros’ are the creative economy in action. Education, culture, community care, women’s power & the joy that makes life worth living. Deeply honored to be welcomed into Olodum, Bloco Afro Muzenza , Didá & others, which make Salvador flourish, even when “the economy” doesn’t get it.

Culture transforms individual lives and our collective futures. The incredible work of Fabrica Cultural, founded by Brazilian Culture Minister Margaeth Menezes, shows how cultural participation can underpin empathetic, rehabilitative strategies for social mobility.

Culture allows us to imagine futures & drive inclusive, sustainable growth. Great to speak at Creative Brazil Forum 2026 last night, alongside Brazilian Minster of Culture and others, using #Carnaval as a powerful example of the transformative economic and social value of art & culture.

Carnaval is a public platform for innovation–mission-led & community-driven. Morning meeting with Governo do Estado da Bahia and their teams from culture, health, security and waste. The shared purpose of Carnaval mobilises & stress-tests cross-government collaboration & public sector capabilities.

Great lunch with Brazil’s Minister of Management and Innovation of Public Services, Esther Dweck, and her team to discuss the next steps in our work together, with procurement as a central lever for social development and state transformation.

Globally cultural and creative industries generate 3.39% of GDP, and in Brazil they contributed 3.59% of GDP in 2023 alone. But the value of arts, culture, and Carnival goes way beyond direct economic value.

Today’s interministerial meeting in Brazil on the Public Value of Arts and Culture brought together Ministries of Culture, Finance, Environment, Innovation in Public Services and Development, Industry, Trade and Services.

Carnival is where identity, belonging, dignity, joy & collective futures are made visible. This week, we launch new research with Brazil's Ministry of Culture, treating Carnival not as temporary spectacle but as an enduring economy—studying what it reveals about public value & the creative economy.

Join our team at @iipp-sea.bsky.social! We’re hiring a Programme Manager to lead SEA’s work on pushing the boundaries of new economic thinking and amplifying the voices of women economists and leaders on industrial policy, global finance and state capacity in the Global South.

The UK’s latest offshore wind auction shows what's possible when public finance is mission oriented. But net zero won't be won on power alone: the decarbonisation of transport, housing and heavy industry must follow.

Rebuilding state capacity requires building the confidence of the civil service as well as investing in the dynamic capabilities needed to tackle grand challenges - not outsourcing to consultancies.

Missions succeed when public finance delivers public value. While the UK is on track to deliver its Clean Power mission w its expansion in offshore wind, it must learn from the failures of PFI era and financialisation of utilities like Thames Water: don’t socialise risks & privatise rewards.

Great to speak at Partito Democratico’s conversation on “Another Story - An alternative for a changing world” today. A mission-oriented approach can deliver economic transformation, but only if it is underpinned by a new social contract that ensures public investment creates public value.

Looking forward to contributing to Partito Democratico’s conversation on “Un’altra Storia (Another Story) - An alternative for a changing world” tomorrow, sharing insights from my work at @iipp-ucl.bsky.social. 31 Jan | Virtual/In person ➡️ Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_mV...

Biden's industrial policy expanded production without ensuring that working people felt prosperity in their daily lives. A true entrepreneurial state must deliver growth that captures public value and delivers affordability. Read the new @foreignaffairs.com piece ➡️  buff.ly/aXhwOR6

Thank you to @feps-europe.eu and László Andor for honoring me with the Progressive Person of the Year Award. Great to highlight our work @iipp-ucl.bsky.social translating economic theory into practice across academia, government and civil society with leaders in the European labour movement.

Great to speak at the @ec.europa.eu today about how mission-led approaches to industrial policy are needed to direct growth & guide the green transition in Europe. IIPP's work on missions ➡️ buff.ly/YzwE0zR My report on necessary capacities and capabilities for a just green world ➡️ buff.ly/NQAqb4x

Today I’ll be speaking at the @ec.europa.eu on mission-led approaches to industrial strategy that focus on the green transition in Europe. Watch the keynote live at 11:30 CET ➡️ competition-policy.ec.europa.eu/about/reachi...

I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free

Industrial strategy is growth strategy – but only if structured around ambitious, cross-sectoral goals. Looking forward to delivering a keynote tomorrow on Inclusive Sustainable Innovation Led-Growth: A mission-led approach at the @ec.europa.eu Virtual | 11:30CET Register here ➡️ buff.ly/K6gx7kA

Trump’s equity stakes in Intel are not an Entrepreneurial State in action. If Trump’s team is serious about the ‘art of the deal,’ it starts with ensuring public investments deliver public value, not extortionate shareholder profit. Read the new @foreignaffairs.com piece here ➡️  buff.ly/aXhwOR6

Great to speak with the General Secretary of CGIL Nazionale Maurizio Landini, an inspirational Italian trade unionist, last night about his new book “Un’altra Storia.” Read my Project Syndicate piece for more on labour and the just transition ➡️ buff.ly/qNjRq85

Looking forward to speaking with head of CGIL Nazionale Maurizio Landini to launch his new book “Un’altra storia” about his life & work in the Italian labour movement. Join us ➡️ buff.ly/iO4WykL Read my Project Syndicate piece for more on labour and the just transition ➡️ buff.ly/qNjRq85

Moving health from the margins to the centre of economic policy isn't just rhetoric—it requires redesigning financial systems and public-private partnerships to prioritise public health, not just shareholder returns. ️Read more in my guest column for Empresa Global from Afi ➡️ buff.ly/k3RGTHd

Great meeting today in Amsterdam with Mayor Femke Halsema and Deputy Mayor Sofyan Mbarki. Discussed our latest work on assessing cities’ capabilities through the Public Sector Capabilities Index (PSCI). ️Read more about PSCI ➡️ buff.ly/BsemWbj

Industrial strategy can help create sustainable paths to growth, but only if it’s designed with concrete, cross-sectoral goals that address societal challenges. Tonight at 20:00 I’ll be on Iceland’s #RÚVFréttir talking about why industrial strategy is growth strategy ➡️  www.ruv.is/sjonvarp/bei...

Great having lunch today with the President of Iceland, Halla Tomasdottir. We discussed how to turn global challenges into opportunities for mission-oriented dynamic cooperation across the public and private sectors. More on mission-oriented approaches to industrial strategy ➡️  buff.ly/eIgn8PS

Great to meet with Halla Gunnarsdóttir, leader of the VR Union, during my visit to Iceland to discuss the need for a new social contract between business, state & labour to embed equity in industrial strategy from the start. More on the role of labour in industrial strategy ➡️ buff.ly/4vqEzgC

Great to speak with Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir about the key challenges and opportunities facing Iceland’s economy and deliver a keynote on how mission-oriented approaches to industrial strategy can support sustainable growth. Read more in my piece in Vísir ➡️ buff.ly/eIgn8PS

Great meeting yesterday in Reykjavik with Kristrún Frostadóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland. Talked about the false dichotomy between growth and sustainability. Looking forwards to our fireside chat about directed growth this morning at 8:30 GMT! Register ➡️ www.stjornarradid.is/efst-a-baugi...