Mazzucato Calls Housing a Human Right and Pushes Mission-Driven Economy

Mariana Mazzucato, the economist famed for championing an entrepreneurial state, told interviewers that housing is a human right and the basis for all other social objectives. She warned that governments should move beyond reactive fixes and instead set clear, mission-driven goals that shape the housing market in advance, limiting speculative investors and expanding social-housing stock comparable to Vienna’s model. Working with Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo, she helped launch a Global Council for a Common Economy to advance these ideas.

Mazzucato called for predistibution rather than redistribution, urging citizens to help define missions while maintaining strong governmental direction. She also warned that increasing defense budgets crowd out health and education spending, and condemned AI development for exploiting African labor and ignoring environmental costs. Finally, she advocated for coalitions of progressive nations to address migration, climate, and security through a broader common-good framework.