Hanushek argues much of the creativity and innovation seen in the US (e.g., Silicon Valley) results not from schooling but from how the US labor market rewards creative ideas instantly, whereas in places like Korea a low-level worker proposing a new idea is as likely to be fired as rewarded, so people don't volunteer better ways of doing things—incentives, not schooling differences, drive the creativity gap.

causalpending

Speaker

Eric Hanushek

Evidence Quote

if you sit around Silicon Valley for just an instant you see that there are new firms that will reward innovative and creative ideas in an instant

Source

Eric Hanushek on Education and School Finance 07/14/2008EconTalk
Created: 6/17/2026, 10:14:22 AM

My Notes

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