Dan Breznitz wins $60,000 Balsillie Prize for Public Policy
Professor Dan Breznitz won the inaugural Balsillie Prize this week for Innovation in Real Places: Strategies for Prosperity in an Unforgiving World (Oxford University Press), an in-depth analysis of how innovative economic policy can achieve regional, community-based prosperity.
“In his insightful book Innovation in Real Places, Dan Breznitz deftly argues that Canadians often confuse ‘innovation’ with ‘invention,’” said the jury. “His research demonstrates that by focusing on the invention side — creating the next new thing — Canadian policy and industry largely miss the major benefits of the innovation train. Breznitz offers advice for leaders at all levels: you don’t have to invent it; you do, however, have to bring it to market in a better way.”
Dan Breznitz is a professor, Chair of Innovation Studies, and co-director of the Innovation Policy Lab at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, with a cross-appointment in the Department of Political Science. Breznitz is a fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, where he co-founded and co-directs the program on Innovation, Equity, and the Future of Prosperity. His award-winning books include Innovation and the State, Run of the Red Queen, and The Third Globalization. Breznitz lives in Toronto.
A jury composed of author and physician Samantha Nutt, policy expert Taki Sarantakis, and digital strategist Scott Young selected the winner and finalists. In total, 69 titles were submitted by 34 publishers. The inaugural shortlist includes books on earthquake preparedness, improving elder care, and institutional inclusivity to inspire leaders in Canada and beyond. Three finalists received $5,000.
Congratulations to the 2021 #BalsilliePrize finalists:
◥ On Borrowed Time: North America’s Next Big Quake
by Gregor Craigie (Victoria)
Published by Goose Lane Editions
◥ Neglected No More: The Urgent Need to Improve the Lives of Canada’s Elders in the Wake of a Pandemic
by André Picard (Montreal)
Published by Random House Canada
◥ “Indian” in the Cabinet: Speaking Truth to Power
by Jody Wilson-Raybould (Vancouver)
Published by HarperCollins Canada
About the Prize
Launched in 2021, the Balsillie Prize for Public Policy celebrates excellence in quality of thought and style and underlines the important role books play in advancing public discourse and presenting new ideas for a better future. The prize especially values bold books that can engage both policymakers and the general public.
About the Sponsor
Jim Balsillie is the former chairman and co-CEO of Research In Motion (BlackBerry), a technology company he scaled from an idea to $20 billion in sales globally. His long-standing interest in and support of public policy initiatives in Canada include serving as an advisor to Canada School of Public Policy, creating and funding the Centre for International Governance Innovation, the Balsillie School of International Affairs, the Arctic Research Foundation, the Institute for New Economic Thinking, the Centre for Digital Rights, and the CIO Strategy Council. He was the private sector representative on the UN Secretary General’s High Panel for Sustainability. He is a member of the Board of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Advisory Board of the Stockholm Resilience Centre. His awards include: Mobile World Congress Lifetime Achievement Award, Canadian Business Hall of Fame, Time Magazine’s World’s 100 Most Influential People, and three times Barron’s list of “World’s Top CEOs.”
About Writers’ Trust
The Writers’ Trust of Canada is a charitable organization that seeks to advance, nurture, and celebrate Canadian writers and writing through a portfolio of programs including eleven national literary awards, financial grants, and career development initiatives for emerging writers. Writers’ Trust programming is designed to champion excellence in Canadian writing, to improve the status of writers, and to create connections between writers and readers. Canada’s writers receive more financial support from the Writers’ Trust than from any other non-governmental organization or foundation in the country. Additional information is available at writerstrust.com.
