Spreading an idea is hard work.

Lots of creativity is and should be solitary.

Bangalore has become a centre for healthcare.

Adelaide is becoming a hub for higher education.

Learning isn't something you should only do solo.

Immigration isn't always good for the economy or jobs.

The longer you commute the less happy you're likely to be.

It matters more how governments behave than how big they are.

A lot of people in government don't really read books at all.

I can think of nothing worse than a think-tank where everybody agreed.

Societies advance through innovation every bit as much as economies do.

All of nationalism can be understood as a kind of collective narcissism.

Vigorous independent and critical media are indispensable in a democracy.

All real capitalisms are impure hybrids, mongrels mixed with other strains.

The market turns out to be just one special case of collective decision-making.

Economies are complex beasts that need people to do an extraordinary range of tasks.

The classic think-tank is supposed to be sitting in an attic thinking up grand ideas.

Systems governed by only one set of rules are more vulnerable than those with variety.

People don't want charities to usurp the state as the core provider of social services.

I have a lot of admiration for people willing to face the public, but I'd prefer not to.

All innovation is about letting go, saying goodbye to things to create space for the new.

Health is already a dominant sector in most societies and the one most guaranteed to grow.

Huge sums are invested globally in medical research and development - and with good reason.

The most dynamic cities have always been immersed in the critical innovations of their time.

A tablet replacing an exercise book is not innovation, it's just a different way to make notes.

Freecycle groups match people who have things they want to get rid of with people who can use them.

Recycling is an area where jobs could be created at low cost. Green collar workers. That's not very sexy.

In Britain, polls show large majorities in favour of mansion taxes and higher taxes on the finance sector.

Societies can easily talk themselves into conflict and misery. But they can also talk, and act, their way out.

The idea of entrepreneurship applies as much in politics, religion, society and the arts as it does in business.

Courses can, and should, incorporate the excitement and fun of programming games, apps or even real digital devices.

The most important innovators often don't need any technologies - just imagination and acute sensitivity to people's needs.

Britain is rich in radicalism, and anyone who says that our society has drifted into fatalism and apathy should get out more.

As with products on supermarket shelves, the public has a right to know where their financial products and services come from.

Cities simply don't have the powers they need to radically innovate in cutting obesity or the number of disaffected teenagers.

Everyone knows of great projects that were too dependent on a charismatic individual, or simply too expensive to be replicated.

I didn't much like being in Parliament physically. I found it a bit depressing. It's very dark and heavy. I like being out and about.

One effect of an individualistic culture that's poor at instilling mutual respect is that people jump more quickly to anger or violence.

Democracy isn't solely about polite conversations in parliaments. It needs to be continually refreshed with raw passions, anger and ideals.

Democratic nation states remain far more capable of managing the circuit of coercion, taxation and legitimation than any transnational bodies.

Many people leave government disillusioned about its ability to achieve change and cynical about politicians. I left with rather opposite lessons.

One of the lessons of history is that even the deepest crises can be moments of opportunity. They bring ideas from the margins into the mainstream.

Capitalism is not so much an aberration as a step on an evolutionary path, and one that contains within it some of the answers to its own contradictions.

As the Internet of things advances, the very notion of a clear dividing line between reality and virtual reality becomes blurred, sometimes in creative ways.

Big business increasingly likes to portray itself as socially concerned, adopting the style of civic action through 'campaigns' of varying degrees of cynicism.

A modest dose of self-love is entirely healthy - who would want to live in a world where everyone hated themselves? But taken too far it soon becomes poisonous.

A modest dose of self-love is entirely healthy - who would want to live in a world where everyone hated themselves? But taken too far, it soon becomes poisonous.

Radicalism is as British as tea and cakes, as much a part of our make-up as monarchy and football. It will never have its own jubilees, palaces or honours system.

Deeper fulfilment is rather different from the happiness of seeing a good film or watching your team win at football, and it doesn't come at the push of a button.

There is incredible potential for digital technology in and beyond the classroom, but it is vital to rethink how learning is organised if we are to reap the rewards.

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