From L
Mariana Mazzucato’s view that major innovation should be credited to government support (24 August, p 26) doesn’t resonate with me. That Apple received a $500,000 small business investment loan is scant evidence the hand of government had a measurable role, and it is even arguable whether Apple has created new technology.
There is a place for government to create the political, legal and economic framework for innovation to occur; if big pharma is closing down its R&D labs, it is because government is failing to provide such a framework. But it is certainly not the dominant force or major driver for technology development that Mazzucato portrays.
Houston, Texas, US
. M. Christopher Clark
