Illuminating the Arts-Policy Nexus 

PANEL: Innovation, Entrepreneurialism and National Competitiveness in a Global Age Keynote Speaker: Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen of Finland Special Speaker: H.E. Dr. Ivo Sanader, Former Prime Minister of Croatia Master of Ceremonies: Aart de Geus, Deputy Secretary General of the OECD Panelists: Juan-Felipe Muñoz, Managing Director, The Otun Group Dr. Eric Bonabeau, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer, Icosystem Corporation Stephen Shapiro, Founder and Advisor, 24/7 Innovation Bruce Mau, Creative Director and Founder, Bruce Mau Design Susan Polgar, Chess Grandmaster Panel summary by Mary Kate Nevin, World Policy Journal "Activity breeds innovation," Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen of Finland told an eager panel. "New things are not created without taking risks." And never has there seemed a more urgent need for new ideas than now, with the world's economies still reverberating from the worst slump in generations and public debts expanding almost beyond control. The key to a sustainable recovery will be entrepreneurship and innovation, he said, and in Finland, "it is in times of crisis when governments have to be particularly active" in promoting them. Finland's experience, he continued, shows that extraordinary difficulties can be overcome with the right policies and enterprise; so too for the rest of the world, "in the coming years governments will play a bigger role than before." Former Prime Minister of Croatia Ivo Sanader also shared his country's experience, illustrating how it has achieved its progress while shifting from a heavily controlled to a vibrant "knowledge-based" economy. The key, he said, was major investments in human capital and fostering of "competitiveness in everyday life." Education is one important component of this, but "this alone will not guarantee competitiveness;" it is essential to balance education with employment needs while giving special attention to rule of law and control of corruption. He concluded with a call to the European Union "to leave the doors of integration open" in order to ensure lasting peace and stability. Shifting the regional focus, Juan-Felipe Muñoz spoke of the rigid social systems in Latin America.