Today the government’s CTO and CIO are talking about open government as a driver for innovation.  David Brooks today urges new energy and focus on innovation as the key to driving improvements in the economy and enriching the social fabric.  One idea is a national infrastructure bank that would exist to filter and select projects in a way that a more parochial Congress can’t do.  Congress’s role in steering government funds to important projects shouldn’t be stymied, but it should be subject to competition.

The creation of another national institution that spends public funds is a tough sell.  So instead of removing Congress’s power of the purse, perhaps a national infrastructure bank — or a national innovation bank — should be a bank of ideas rather than a financial institution.  A national innovation bank could be a public-private partnership that would sift, gather, and publicize ideas that help fix social and environmental problems in measurable ways.  These ideas could get attention from Congress, from private industry, from universities, and from entrepreneurs in all walks of life.

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