Question

Unless the government can dispense with the heretofore ________ remedies it has used to confront the recent economic downturn, the population will continue to suffer, both physically and under the delusion that the government actually endeavored to handle the crisis in an innovative fashion.

Answer 1

Answer - prosaic or pedestrian

The sentence tells that the government offered remedies which were not innovative. 

Prosaic and pedestrian are opposite of innovative. They mean uninspired, dull and lacking originality.