Asia's Rising Science and Technology Strength. Comparative Indicators for Asia, the European Union, and the United States

摘要

Science and technology (S&T) are changing the world in profound ways. Governments, having recognized the contributions of S&T to economic growth and societal well-being, are thinking strategically about their innovation systems and acting to make these systems more effective and efficient in an increasingly interdependent and competitive world. Policies that seek to strengthen countries education infrastructure, the institutions that carry out research and development (R&D), and the innovation environment have become commonplace. The major development over the past decade or more has been the rapid emergence of Asian economies outside Japan as increasingly strong players in the worlds S&T system, with South Korea and Taiwan being joined by Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and others. Although the world has experienced ubiquitous market-and policy-driven expansion of S&T capabilities, nowhere has this been as rapid and dramatic as in Asia. The largest and fastest-growing actor is China, whose government has declared education and S&T to be the strategic engines of sustainable economic development. China has already become an important player in high-technology markets, has attracted the world's major corporations, and was a major recipient of foreign direct investment in 2004.