When states pass social liberalization laws, they create regional advantages for innovation
What conditions lead to world-changing innovation? It’s an important question for business and government leaders.
Contrary to the traditional notion of the solitary scientist, new products, services and technologies are rarely conceived by a single person. Instead, they’re developed and refined through feedback from colleagues, end users and collaborators. So it’s not surprising that characteristics of the social context can influence innovation.
But how can you create the social context that facilitates innovation?
My collaborator and I zeroed in on the idea of looking at social liberalization policies – laws like those that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, for instance – as a measure for a more open and diverse social environment. We found that states that impleme...