The core activity of the Center is the production of Innovations: Technology | Governance | Globalization, a major journal from MIT Press that prominently situates Mason within a community of individuals and groups creatively using technology and new modes of organization to arrive at solutions to global challenges. The journal is co-edited by CSTP Director Philip Auerswald and Iqbal Quadir, founding Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Program in Developmental Entrepreneurship.

"In contrast with most policy journals," says Auerswald, "Innovations is less about what needs to be done and more about what people are doing. It is intended to complement existing journals by cutting across academic disciplines and linking human action with global impact. "

Innovations also aspires to affect the manner in which academic institutions address policy issues. "Beyond core missions in education and knowledge creation, large universities like George Mason are increasingly expected to drive economic development and find solutions to complex social challenges such as global climate change and persistent poverty," Auerswald observes. "In this context, universities are arguably most effective not when they push internal expertise, but rather when they build and sustain open platforms to inform and connect people whose collective understanding can lead to lasting solutions. Ultimately, that’s what we’re trying to do with this journal."

Innovations is co-hosted by CSTP and the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government ; it is supported in part by George Mason’s Center for Global Studies . The journal’s advisory and editorial boards include the current President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (John Holdren, who chairs the advisory board), two former U.S. Presidential Science Advisors, the published if Foreign Affairs, a former NASA Administrator, four SPP faculty members, and globally recognized leaders in social entrepreneurship. Additional information on Innovations is available at
policy.gmu.edu/innovations.

CURRENT CSTP RESEARCH PROJECTS

Specific ongoing research projects at CSTP address the innovation policy and security externalities. Motivation research questions for these projects are as follow:

* Innovation policy: What is the process by which the outcomes of basic research, mostly publicly funded, are converted into commercial products ready for market? What specific market failures, if any, exist in this transition from “invention” to “innovation”? Which policy and programs, if any, should local, state, and federal government employ to support this process? How should such programs be evaluated?

* Security externalities: What is the process by which the elements of critical infrastructures, mostly privately managed, are ensured to reliably deliver public services in the event of an attack or natural disaster? What specific market failures, if any, exist in markets for the provision of infrastructures services? Which policy and programs, if any, should local, state, and federal government employ to ensure the delivery of critical services? How should such programs be evaluated?