Notwithstanding Plato's 2,400-year-old proverb, necessity alone is not the mother of invention. It also requires opportunity. An individual's likelihood of becoming an innovator reflects parental background in terms of income and sociological factors, recent research shows. Highly talented children from disadvantaged backgrounds tend to innovate far below their potential, while children from wealthier or more educated families are much more likely to pursue innovation.

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1 March 2025

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IMF Finance and Development magazine

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https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2025/03/innovations-unseen-frontier-xavier-jaravel

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