If there is one consistent theme in science fiction since the true boom of the genre in the 1950s it's the prediction of the end of the world. For decades the world's demise had been graphically dramatized through alien abductions, nuclear holocausts, the sun exploding and storms of meteorites crashing...

How are imagination and the global economy connected? Well, if you're a Hollywood producer, you'd know that the highest grossing films of all time tend to fall in the fantasy/imagination/sci-fi genre. Think, Harry Potter, Spiderman, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. The studios behind these blockbuster franchises know that...