In 'The Nature of Economies', Jane Jacobs provides a view on a number of important aspects that often go unrecognised. Starting from her insights on an economy's main processes, the control mechanisms at work, and the fitness of an economy, we can take a comprehensive look at innovation targets, i.e., the types of problems our society needs to solve.
Tag: energy
What’s an economy – According to Jane Jacobs
Lots has been said and written about the economy and how it works, most if it in the specific terminology of economics. It took somebody with a very broad spectrum of interests, insights and ideas to develop a more natural narrative, somebody like the journalist, author, and activist Jane Jacobs. In "The Nature of Economies", she offers a conceptual description of economies that is entirely based on the very same natural principles that govern chemistry, mechanics, and biology, and a fresh perspective on how economies thrive or fail. This post is a tribute to her work.
Disrupting energy and production – How
Becoming more energy and raw material efficient is the only way to manage increasing demand within limited resources. That's no surprise. Challenges arise not only from the physical limitation of resources, but also from our inefficient and wasteful use. That is particularly relevant for manufacturing, as we largely depend upon non-renewable sources of raw material. … Continue reading Disrupting energy and production – How
Disrupting energy and production – Why
The Industrial Revolution essentially was an energy revolution: we learned to harness energy way beyond the natural sources we had used thus far. Instead of relying on renewables such as muscle (ox, horse, and man), wood, water, or wind, we increasingly utilised fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas to power the dizzying progress we have … Continue reading Disrupting energy and production – Why
Ready for disruptions?
It's always useful to look back what happened, to analyse the past and try to learn something from it. But the real fun comes when you unleash your imagination, apply some of the learning and think about what could likely happen in the future. And that is actually my plan for this summer break: to think … Continue reading Ready for disruptions?
understanding innovation 