Center for Innovation and Technology – American Legislative Exchange Council

The ALEC Center for Innovation and Technology provides state lawmakers with guides, data, research and a structure to imagine and create a plan of action for how innovation could benefit their states. Whether improving processes, creating products or developing new ideas, the Center provides a place for breakout inspiration and examination of policy improvements.

States have the opportunity to address policy challenges through innovation and experimentation and to lead by being the “laboratories of democracy.” Most of the challenges are not easy, but innovation is often the way through, and states are best equipped for this challenge. Confronting challenges in these “laboratories” and taking the risks to create a better tomorrow provides a best practices blueprint for other states and the federal government. States are the incubators of solutions. But even when the creative goes astray, the experience provides valuable insight for other states as they grapple with their challenges.

“Solving real problems with relevant solutions is the key to any successful public policy agenda. In other words, innovation is just as much about identifying the problem as it is about creating the solution. To that end, the Center for Innovation and Technology considers current and potential state policy seeking breakout solutions,” says Bartlett Cleland, head of the Center for Innovation and Technology. “The Center is the resource to assist state lawmakers in positioning their state to be an innovation leader today and for the future.”

The secrets of America’s success at invention are flexibility, the willingness to experiment and learn from mistakes, an inherent love of risk taking, adventure, discovery, entrepreneurship, the internal drive that gives permission to imagine and invent, the freedom to succeed and the freedom to fail…and a sensible government that stays out of the way of the magic.  This is innovation.