COVID-19 and public-sector capacity

This working paper by Professor Mariana Mazzucato and Professor Rainer Kattel argues that to govern a pandemic, governments require dynamic capabilities and capacity — too often missing.

Download working paper

UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP) Working Paper Series: IIPP WP 2020-12

This working paper was also published as a journal article in Oxford Review of Economic Policy.

Authors

• Mariana Mazzucato | Director, Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value, UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose
• Rainer Kattel | Deputy Director, Professor of Innovation and Public Governance, UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose

Reference

Mazzucato, M. and Kattel, R. (2020). COVID-19 and public-sector capacity. UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, Working Paper Series (IIPP WP 2020-12). Available at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/public-purpose/wp2020-12

Abstract

The paper argues that to govern a pandemic, governments require dynamic capabilities and capacity — too often missing. These include capacity to adapt and learn; capacity to align public services and citizen needs; capacity to govern resilient production systems; and capacity to govern data and digital platforms.