Advisers who think that they are very clever while all around them are a bit thick, and that all the problems of the world would be solved if the thick listened to the clever, are liable to be disappointed. – Geoff Mulgan
Local government in England is simply too big. Our lowest tier serves an average population of 118,500, while in the U.S. and across continental Europe the figures are more like several thousand. – Geoff Mulgan
It’s an irony that growing inequality could mean more money for philanthropy. In the U.S., quite a few of the ultra-rich have taken to heart the 19th century industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie’s comment that it’s a disgrace to die wealthy. – Geoff Mulgan
There are hardly any apprenticeships in care; hardly any schools preparing teenagers for jobs in care; and few signs that politicians know what to do to raise the status and rewards for what will soon be one of our most important industries. – Geoff Mulgan
On the environment and climate change, I suspect that future generations will think there was too much timidity, too much fear of upsetting business. Basically, New Labour was very nervous about regulating business, or requiring it to do anything, even when there was a very clear social or environmental case for doing so. – Geoff Mulgan
As a civil servant in charge of the government’s Strategy Unit, I brought in many people from outside government, including academia and science, to work in the unit, dissecting and solving complex problems from GM crops to alcohol, nuclear proliferation to schools reform. – Geoff Mulgan
Understanding capitalism is in some ways simple. At its best, capitalism rewards creators, makers and providers: the people and firms that create valuable things for others, like imaginative technologies and good food, cars and drugs. – Geoff Mulgan
By international standards, many of the U.K.’s policies for civil society are exemplary. However, there are concerns about constraints on civil liberties – particularly restrictions on free assembly and about the rising tide of everyday regulation has seriously impeded community activity – from organising street parties to helping children. – Geoff Mulgan
Capitalism is not so much an aberration as a step on an evolutionary path, and one that contains within it some of the answers to its own contradictions. – Geoff Mulgan
Democratic nation states remain far more capable of managing the circuit of coercion, taxation and legitimation than any transnational bodies. – Geoff Mulgan
Huge sums are invested globally in medical research and development – and with good reason. – Geoff Mulgan
Britain is rich in radicalism, and anyone who says that our society has drifted into fatalism and apathy should get out more. – Geoff Mulgan
I have a lot of admiration for people willing to face the public, but I’d prefer not to. – Geoff Mulgan
States which used to communicate directly to their citizens now do so through the media, where their messages are reshaped by the logics of news values and commentary. – Geoff Mulgan
People don’t want charities to usurp the state as the core provider of social services. – Geoff Mulgan
The really interesting moment will be when you have a critical mass of people engaging through the networks, more than through the press and TV. When that happens, the culture of politics has to change, moving away from controlled one-way messages towards a political culture that is more questioning. – Geoff Mulgan
All over the world, social innovation is tackling some of the most pressing problems facing society today – from fair trade, distance learning, hospices, urban farming and waste reduction to restorative justice and zero-carbon housing. But most of these are growing despite, not because of, help from governments. – Geoff Mulgan