The Entrepreneurial State

Mazzucato's influential corrective to the Silicon Valley myth — arguing that the state, not private venture capital, drives the most fundamental innovation — is genuinely well-documented and earned its Financial Times best-book recognition. Critics fairly point out that the book underweights failed public investments and the policy prescriptions are underspecified, so read it as a thought-provoking argument rather than a balanced accounting. For educated adults curious about innovation policy, it's worth the time even if you end up disagreeing.