Move over US -- China to be new driver of world's economy and innovation?

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 21:00:00 -0800

NOTE: This content was aggregated from RSS feed. Original source is http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-01/giot-mou012408.php

EurkeAlert reports on a Georgia Tech "study of worldwide technological competitiveness suggests China may soon rival the United States as the principal driver of the world's economy -- a position the US has held since the end of World War II."

The study’s indicators predict that China will soon pass the United States in the critical ability to develop basic science and technology, turn those developments into products and services – and then market them to the world. Though China is often seen as just a low-cost producer of manufactured goods, the new “High Tech Indicators” study done by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology clearly shows that the Asian powerhouse has much bigger aspirations.

“For the first time in nearly a century, we see leadership in basic research and the economic ability to pursue the benefits of that research – to create and market products based on research – in more than one place on the planet,” said Nils Newman, co-author of the National Science Foundation-supported study. “Since World War II, the United States has been the main driver of the global economy. Now we have a situation in which technology products are going to be appearing in the marketplace that were not developed or commercialized here. We won’t have had any involvement with them and may not even know they are coming.”

Georgia Tech’s “High Tech Indicators” study ranks 33 nations relative to one another on “technological standing,” an output factor that indicates each nation’s recent success in exporting high technology products. Four major input factors help build future technological standing: national orientation toward technological competitiveness, socioeconomic infrastructure, technological infrastructure and productive capacity. Each of the indicators is based on a combination of statistical data and expert opinions.

A chart showing change in the technological standing of the 33 nations is dominated by one feature – a long and continuous upward line that shows China moving from “in the weeds” to world technological leadership over the past 15 years.

The 2007 statistics show China with a technological standing of 82.8, compared to 76.1 for the United States, 66.8 for Germany and 66.0 for Japan. Just 11 years ago, China’s score was only 22.5. The United States peaked in 1999 with a score of 95.4.

Changes in Competitiveness, 1993-2007: Chart shows the change in technological standing for several nations from 1993 to 2007.

China: Science & Technology

NSF makes shocking proposal: More money for science!

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:34:25 -0800

Description

The National Science Board recently released the 2008 Science and Engineering Indicators. Along with the statistics, it published a report on R&D in America, arguing that:

1. The federal government should take action to enhance the level of funding for, and the transformational nature of, basic research;
2. Industry, government, the academic sector and professional organizations should take action to encourage greater intellectual interchange or synergy between industry and academia, with industry reserachers encouraged to also participate as authors and reviewers for articles in open, peer-reviewed publications.
3. New data are critically needed, and this need should be expeditiously addressed by relevant federal agencies to track the implications for the U.S. economy of the globalization of manufacturing and services in high technology industry.

I suspect that arguments regarding the need for more money for basic research isn't going to be terribly controversial, but I can't ever recall reading an NSF report that didn't conclude with calls for increased funding.

Research and Development: Essential Foundation for U.S. Competitiveness in a Global Economy: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsb0803/nsb0803.pdf
2008 Science and Engineering Indicators: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind08/
Press Release 08-005: National Science Board Releases Science and Engineering Indicators 2008: http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=110984&govDel=USNSF_51

Signals

2006 trends in science funding: US, Europe, and Japan are still in the lead... but for how long?

Does Globalization of the Scientific/Engineering Workforce Threaten U.S. Economic Leadership?

Move over US -- China to be new driver of world's economy and innovation?

scinometrics

Move over US -- China to be new driver of world's economy and innovation?

NSF makes shocking proposal: More money for science!

Description

Signals