PolicyBristol Insights: Applying mission theory to systems problems in policy

The Labour government, among others, is advocating a 'mission driven' approach to government; but what are the origins of this approach, and how (consistently) is the theory being used in practice?
Join guest speaker Josh Entsminger for an insight into these questions.

Public and private organizations are facing calls to align innovation with grand societal challenges. Increasingly, the state and public actors are turning towards challenge- and mission-oriented innovation policy to pursue this alignment. While previously focused on accelerating national technological progress, modern mission theory focuses on changing the qualitative features of systems problems - an approach intended to contrast with both traditional innovation and industrial policy. However, critiques and concerns remain. This talk will cover the theory and recent history of mission-oriented innovation policy, with implications for universities.

Josh Entsminger is an applied researcher in innovation policy and international affairs. He is a doctoral candidate at UCL, focusing on the history and practices of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. He works with Mariana Mazzucato on missions, digital platforms, and artificial intelligence policy in the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. Currently, he is a consulting researcher for Chatham House on Sovereign Artificial Intelligence strategies. He has contributed to reports from the World Economic Forum, and his op-eds have been syndicated in over a dozen countries across six languages through Project Syndicate

The session is jointly run by PolicyBristol and The Population Health Science Institute (PHSI) at the University of Bristol. It will include a 35-45 minute talk followed by 45 minutes for Q&A and discussion. All welcome.

Image credit: Thomas Dahlstrøm Nielsen, CC BY-SA 4.0 <;, via Wikimedia Commons