Technological change has enormous potential: it can help improve economy-wide productivity and stimulate growth and job creation. To fulfil this potential, governments need to make technology and innovation policies an integral part of overall economic policy, while intensifying their search for "best practices". This issue of the STI Review deals with these questions. It discusses "market" and "systemic" failure approaches and examines how economic theory can provide guidance in the quest for best practices. It presents a significant range of emerging policy adjustments in certain countries (Canada, the United States, Finland) and organisations and gives a resolutely new insight into technology and innovation policy.