Frequently Asked Questions

  • Neovationism is an original economic theory developed by Kasia Badger that positions innovation, equity, creativity-focused education, and strategic automation as the four interconnected pillars of sustainable growth. Through the IDEA framework — Incentivize Innovation, Distribute Equitably, Educate for Creativity, and Automate Strategically — it provides a roadmap for building economies where human creativity and technological progress reinforce one another.

  • While capitalism prioritizes market incentives and socialism emphasizes distribution, Neovationism integrates both equity and innovation within a single, self-reinforcing model. It proposes that economic systems must evolve beyond production and consumption toward creativity and transformative innovation — ensuring that automation and technology serve human development rather than displacing it.

  • Neovationism was developed to address three persistent challenges in modern economies:

    • the participation gap in innovation,

    • the automation gap that risks widening inequality, and

    • the education gap that undervalues creativity.

    It aims to offer a practical, evidence-based framework for guiding innovation-led, inclusive growth in the 21st century.

  • The IDEA Framework represents the four pillars of Neovationism:

    • I – Incentivize Innovation: Reward creative problem-solving and experimentation.

    • D – Distribute Equitably: Ensure innovation benefits are widely shared.

    • E – Educate for Creativity: Build education systems that nurture curiosity and ingenuity.

    • A – Automate Strategically: Use automation to amplify, not replace, human creativity.

  • Neovationism builds on the foundations of endogenous growth theory (Romer, Lucas, Aghion & Howitt), innovation economics (Schumpeter), and inclusive growth research (Piketty, Lee). It synthesizes these traditions into a single, implementable model that links innovation, equity, and automation into one growth mechanism.

  • Automation in Neovationism is viewed not as a threat to employment but as a creative amplifier. When deployed strategically, automation frees people from repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on higher-order innovation, design, and problem-solving — creating a cycle of human–machine co-evolution.

  • It is both. The framework is normative in defining the principles of an equitable innovation-driven economy, and empirical in its potential for measurement through indices such as the proposed IDEA Index and multi-country comparative studies currently under development.

  • Yes. Neovationism is designed to be scalable and adaptable. Low-income countries can apply it to expand access to innovation and education, while advanced economies can use it to manage automation and sustain equitable innovation ecosystems.

  • Policies consistent with the framework include:

    • innovation grants and tax credits for inclusive startups,

    • redistributive mechanisms for automation-driven profits,

    • creativity-based education reforms, and

    • national strategies for AI and automation complementarity.

  • Governments, international organizations (e.g., UNDP, World Bank, OECD), and private-sector innovation agencies could all adopt its principles. Neovationism encourages public–private partnerships that align creative talent, technological resources, and equitable opportunity.

  • The 13 Neovationism Research Clusters are specialized thematic programs that explore specific aspects of the theory — from automation ethics and creative education to innovation finance and equity policy. Each cluster produces four key outputs: a Foundational Paper, a Foundational Book, a Research Paper, and a Research Book.

  • Future research will include:

    • cross-country econometric studies using innovation and equity indicators,

    • longitudinal studies on education and automation outcomes, and

    • development of the IDEA Index, quantifying how well nations integrate innovation, equity, education, and automation.

  • Neovationism was originally conceived and developed by Kasia Badger in 2025. The theory, including the IDEA Framework, foundational papers, and related materials, are copyrighted intellectual property of the author.

  • The official citation format is:

    Badger, K. (2025). Neovationism: The IDEA Framework for Equitable, Innovation-Driven Automation. Foundational Paper.

    All derivative works or research extensions should reference the foundational paper to ensure proper academic attribution.