The US economy has had a tremendous run over the past 6 decades or so. Apart from the energy shocks of the 1970s and 1980s, there have been only mild interruptions in a remarkable pattern of growth. There are many factors that have contributed to this phenomenon, and many books have been written to explain it. Stripped to its essentials, however, the great American success story can be summarized in a single word—productivity!!
The technical definition of productivity is simply output (gross product) per worker. Over time, we have enjoyed substantial improvement in this basic statistic. We see evidence of it everywhere. We produce more food on less land with fewer people than at any other time in history. We routinely set records for manufacturing output, but with millions fewer workers than was the case a few years ago. The factors behind this pattern are many and varied. We have the most experienced and educated workforce in the history of the world. Technological advances have been dramatic, thus allowing each worker to do more. Globalization has fostered ever-increasing efficiency. The most critical element can again be boiled down to one word—creativity!!
Creativity led to the implements that allowed us to transform from an agrarian to an industrial society. Creativity fostered the advances in production processes that allowed America to emerge as a major economic power. Creativity brought us the computers, electronics, and telecommunications advances that define the modern world. Creativity is now spawning the advances in nanotechnology, biotechnology, molecular electronics, materials science, and other areas that will propel us into the future. Lest we forget, creativity also gives us (1) the breakthroughs in medicine that extend our lives and make us healthier, (2) the cultural arts that enhance our human experience, and (3) the fundamental scientific discoveries that allow us to comprehend our universe and its possibilities.
These premises are very clear and beyond dispute. Prosperity requires productivity, and productivity requires creativity. Therein lies a fundamental problem. Creativity is, by its very nature, messy, unpredictable, and often controversial. Basic science and cutting edge artistic creativity are offensive to us and are constantly pushing the envelope of our sensibilities. Things that challenge our world view and make us explore fundamentally new ways of thinking are difficult to accept. We don’t burn the perpetrators at the stake any more, but we also don’t easily embrace them.
To make matters even worse, the process of discovery and creativity does not always benefit from gains in productivity to the same degree as a manufacturing plant. Thus, there is a natural tendency for this element of the economy to decline in relative importance over time. The only way to prevent that from happening is to proactively promote programs to support the creative process.
At present, funding for scientific research is under fire, and funding for efforts to support the cultural arts is under fire on multiple fronts. When budgets are tight (and they always are), it is easy to cut those things that don’t seem to bring an immediate benefit (especially if we find them unsettling).
The fallacy in this approach is obvious. If we don’t expose people to creative opportunities early and often and if we don’t encourage ongoing discovery, we ultimately lose the very thing that has allowed us to move forward. It doesn’t happen overnight, it slips up on us gradually over decades. If we are to retain our competitive advantage in an increasingly complex and integrated planet, we have to aggressively support all forms of creativity. To do less is to limit our possibilities.