A review by ampregnall
The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs. Private Sector Myths by Mariana Mazzucato

3.0

Mariana Mazzucato's The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs. Private Sector Myths gave me a lot to think about. Mazzucato's central thesis is that the public sector (i.e., the State) has long been the driver of scientific and technological innovation, investing resources in bold new frontiers of understandings when private investment was all but absent. On this point, Mazzucato makes a compelling argument through well-researched and well-formulated chapters that guide the reader from (1) an overarching theoretical perspective (a merger of Schumpeterian and Keynesian economics) to (2) specific examples that fit within that perspective to (3) public policy recommendations based on her previous analyses. I enjoyed reading this modern take on the role of the State, especially after finishing Zackary D. Carter's The Price of Peace: Money, Democracy, and the Life of John Maynard Keynes. A few aspects of this book, however, prevented me from giving it a higher rating. First, the book gets quite repetitive. The same turns of phrase and examples appear over and over again. While thus drives the central thesis home quite well, it prevents the book from feeling fully fleshed out and makes the reading experience less pleasurable. Second, Mazzucato seems to cite herself a lot when making her points. I am entirely unfamiliar with the economics literature, and I do not want to take away from the important scholarship Mazzucato has done. Yet, the number of self-citations--especially when arguing the most important points in the book--felt like too much. I would have liked to see incorporation of more types of evidence and sources when arguing these points. It would have reduced the repetitiveness and made for a stronger book.