From Human-Centered Design to Human-Centered Society

2 Innovators and Exploiters

DOI: 10.4324/9781003462361-2

Introduction

My overall thesis is that innovation and economic growth are key enablers of a human-centered society. A continually rising tide can lift all boats, although this has not always been the case. A key driver of innovation, in terms of translating inventions to market value propositions, is entrepreneurs’ expectations of being able to exploit market opportunities for substantial economic gains. However, people are unlikely to accept exploitation perpetually.

I will address innovation first, then exploitation. As briefly noted in Chapter 1, economists are often concerned about sources of innovation and economic growth. I find Mokyr’s (1992, 2017) arguments and illustrations ...