Technology Policy and Sustainable Development in Germany and Brazil: Shaping National Systems of Innovation towards a sustainable future

摘要

At an international level the industrialized countries enter into a "technology race" pursueing similar technology objectives. To organize innovation as an evolutionary future process, it becomes necessary to coordinate innovation activities. This paper studies the R&D and technology policy landscape in Germany and Brazil and points out the country-specific relations between the actors and their interactions. An emerging superstructure forms a so-called national system of innovation (NSI). The general arguments for a NSI are outlined and discussed. Today a major demand of public policy is to shift the innovation system towards a sustainable future. How should the NSIs of Germany and Brazil be shaped to target sustainable development objectives? Which instruments are available to push technology to an environmental but also to a sustainable societal and economic future?