Nonprofit Studies Program, Rhode Island College
Providence, Rhode Island
The world is moving to a new rhythm. To be at the forefront of this new world, the United States needs to become more creative and innovative. To be creative means to imagine something that didn’t exist before and to look for new solutions and forms. To be innovative means to introduce change in society and in the economy. Design activities transform ideas into value and link creativity to innovation.
In order to progress, the United States needs increased investment – both private and public – in knowledge. Moving ahead with wisdom requires respect for history and the cultural heritage. New knowledge builds upon historical knowledge, and most innovations are new combinations of what is already there. Culture, with its respect for individual and collective memory, is important to maintaining a sense of direction in the current context of restless change.
Creativity is a fundamental dimension of human activity. It thrives where there is dialogue between cultures, in a free, open and diverse environment with social and gender equality. It requires respect and legal protection for the outcomes of creative and intellectual work. Creativity is at the heart of culture, design and innovation, but everyone has the right to utilize their creative talent. More than ever, the United States' future depends on the imagination and creativity of its people.
The economic, environmental and social crises challenge us to find new ways of thinking and acting. Creativity and innovation can move society forward toward prosperity, but society needs to take responsibility for how they are used. Today, they must be mobilized in favor of a fair and green society, based upon intercultural dialogue and with respect for nature and for the health and well-being of people worldwide.
To create a more creative and innovative United States, open to the rest of the world and respectful of human values, the following manifesto is presented, which sets out priorities and recommendations for action. The need for change and a new initiative is urgent. The United States must give full attention to creativity and innovation now in order to find a way out of the current stalemate.
Manifesto
- Nurture creativity in a lifelong learning process where theory and practice go hand in hand.
- Make schools and universities places where students and teachers engage in creative thinking and learning by doing.
- Transform workplaces into learning sites.
- Promote a strong, independent and diverse cultural sector that can sustain intercultural dialogue.
- Promote scientific research to understand the world, improve people’s lives and stimulate innovation.
- Promote design processes, thinking and tools, understanding the needs, emotions, aspirations and abilities of users.
- Support business innovation that contributes to prosperity and sustainability.
Lines of Action
The following lines of action require a new understanding of public policy. The United States government needs to engage in change together with social partners and grassroots movements. Shared visions and initiatives that cross traditional policy areas are needed in order to deal with current ecological, social, cultural, security and political deficits. Focusing upon creativity and innovation is a key to opening dialogues that cross historical political divides.
Action 1: Invest in knowledge
In order to strengthen the competitiveness of the United States, new budgetary principles that give high priority to investments in people and knowledge are necessary. In the short term, unemployed workers should be offered a chance to upgrade their skills. Business, trade unions and governments should work together in organizing the upgrading of workers’ skills through public and private funding. The scale and ambition of the educational funding must be expanded, be focused upon investment in research and knowledge and linked to building institutional frameworks that support learning in working life.
Action 2: Reinvent education
Schools and universities need to be reinvented in partnership with teachers and students so that education prepares people for the learning society. Retrain teachers and engage parents so that they can contribute to an education system that develops the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes for intercultural dialogue, critical thinking, problem-solving and creative projects. Give a strong emphasis to design in education at different levels. Establish a major country-wide research and development effort on education to improve quality and creativity at all levels.
Action 3: Reward initiative
People that take new initiatives in business, the public sector and civic society should be rewarded. Social policies can contribute to innovation by sharing risks with citizens who engage in change. Artists, designers, scientists and entrepreneurs who contribute with new ideas should be rewarded. Prizes for excellence should be combined with legal protection of intellectual property rights and strike a balance between creating fair rewards and promoting knowledge-sharing.
Action 4: Sustain culture
Capacity-building in the cultural sector should be supported through national programs and mechanisms in order to sustain cultural diversity, independence and intercultural dialogue. Creative industries should be promoted by building new bridges between art, philosophy, science and business. The development and use of new media should be stimulated through raising the quality of the content. New economic models must be developed to finance free, diverse, independent and high-quality digital news media.
Action 5: Promote innovation
There is a need for a more ambitious and broad-based innovation policy. Increased investment in science, technology and design should be combined with efforts to increase the demand for knowledge. Firms should be stimulated to combine scientific knowledge with experience-based knowledge. They should be encouraged to increase diversity among employees in terms of gender, education and nationality. The education of engineers, managers and designers should mix theoretical education with practical experience. Innovation policy as well as labor market and education policy should aim at mobilizing users and employees in processes of change. Developing and implementing broad innovation policy strategies must be a major concern for political leaders.
Action 6: Think globally
The United States should be at the world-wide forefront in terms of science, culture and competitiveness. Collaboration within the United States in science, technology, education, design and culture needs to be further opened up to the rest of the world. A competitive United States should develop economic collaboration both with the strong, new emerging economies and with the poor countries most in need of support. Promoting innovation in poor countries is a moral obligation and it reduces the pressure of immigration. The United States should contribute to the establishment of fair rules regarding the protection and sharing of knowledge at the global level.
Action 7: Green the economy
The United States must mobilize creativity and innovation to transform itself into a post-carbon society. A key element is eco-innovation and the establishment of a "new techno-economic trajectory" starting from "end of pipe" solutions, moving through "clean technologies" and ending with "system innovations" that radically transform production, distribution and consumption. Investments need to be combined with new institutions, new regulation and new habits. Creativity is the major tool to find solutions that combine sustainability with prosperity.
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