Can America Get Its Entrepreneurial Groove Back?

With the unemployment rate stuck at a stubbornly high 9 percent, policymakers continue to debate how to create new jobs to get America working again. But government is only one part of the equation. What is the role of private capital and can it help foster more entrepreneurs who will create jobs and new industries to pull the economy out of the doldrums? Who will be the next Steve Jobs?

On November 15, the Initiative on Business and Public Policy at Brookings hosted a discussion on the role of private capital and government policies to help foster the next generation of job creators. Speakers included Small Business Administrator Karen Mills, New York Times columnist David Brooks, former P&G CEO and member of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness A.G. Lafley, former “car czar” Ron Bloom, Harvard Business School Professor Josh Lerner, and member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers Carl Shapiro, as well as other investors, academics, venture capitalists and policymakers.

After each panel, the speakers took audience questions.