The Korean government believes it can turn the country into one of the top 10 competitive economies by 2010. This volume offers an in-depth analysis of the Korean innovation system and shows how its science and technology policies actually work. As Korea’s economy is now reaching the status of a newly advanced economy, the book also takes a close look at ongoing structural changes in the course of economic globalization.
Export-oriented industrialization has transformed the Korean economy so profoundly that it has become known as the "Miracle on the Han." Yet, this industrial model has become fragile, as Korea’s chaebols are being challenged by Chinese competitors. Attempts to seek out new engines of economic growth have failed, or remain underdeveloped, while a looming demographic crisis threatens to exacerbate Korea’s problems. This book outlines a blueprint for overcoming these challenges, moving beyond the business strategies, government policies, and socio-cultural patterns established under export-oriented industrialization. Written by a stellar line-up of international contributors, its central proposition is that social change is needed to support the strategic and operational transformation of the chaebol and SMEs. Specifically, it stresses the need for an appreciation of the gender, national, and ethnic diversity emerging within the Korean workplace today. If properly leveraged, such diversity has the potential to reduce the groupthink that hampers the creativity and responsiveness of Korean firms today, as well as facilitating greater success in overseas markets. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, this book will be useful to students and scholars in Korean Studies, as well as those studying business, economics, and sociology more broadly in East Asia.
In this volume leading scholars analyze in a series of original essays and commentaries how newly industrializing countries (NICs), particularly those in East Asia, have transformed themselves from technologically backward and poor to relatively modern and affluent economies over the past thirty years. The contributors provide interesting theoretical perspectives and offer insights into the process of technological progress at both the macro and micro levels in these countries. The essays review how firms, particularly those in electronics and automobiles, have dynamically accumulated technological capabilities at the micro level, how public policies have shaped the process of technological progress at the national level, and what problems some of these countries face today at both levels. In addition, the volume provides a comparison of East Asian NIC s with their Latin American counterparts. The discussion also offers useful lessons for policies in other developing countries.
This book examines dynamics between demand and innovation and provides insights into the rationale and scope for public policies to foster demand for innovation.
A series of detailed case studies is used not only to show how individual companies developed, but also how large groups of firms formed industrial clusters from behind the technology frontier. Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore have emerged as dynamic and distinct forces for growth and innovation. Increasingly the competitive challenge to Japan comes from these countries rather than from Europe and America.
Why are some countries better than others at science and technology (S&T)? Written in an approachable style, The Politics of Innovation provides readers from all backgrounds and levels of expertise a comprehensive introduction to the debates over national S&T competitiveness. It synthesizes over fifty years of theory and research on national innovation rates, bringing together the current political and economic wisdom, and latest findings, about how nations become S&T leaders. Many experts mistakenly believe that domestic institutions and policies determine national innovation rates. However, after decades of research, there is still no agreement on precisely how this happens, exactly which institutions matter, and little aggregate evidence has been produced to support any particular explanation. Yet, despite these problems, a core faith in a relationship between domestic institutions and national innovation rates remains widely held and little challenged. The Politics of Innovation confronts head-on this contradiction between theory, evidence, and the popularity of the institutions-innovation hypothesis. It presents extensive evidence to show that domestic institutions and policies do not determine innovation rates. Instead, it argues that social networks are as important as institutions in determining national innovation rates. The Politics of Innovation also introduces a new theory of "creative insecurity" which explains how institutions, policies, and networks are all subservient to politics. It argues that, ultimately, each country's balance of domestic rivalries vs. external threats, and the ensuing political fights, are what drive S&T competitiveness. In making its case, The Politics of Innovation draws upon statistical analysis and comparative case studies of the United States, Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Turkey, Israel, Russia and a dozen countries across Western Europe.
In immediate responses to the COVID-19 crisis, science and innovation are playing essential roles in providing a better scientific understanding of the virus, as well as in the development of vaccines, treatments and diagnostics. Both the public and private sectors have poured billions of dollars into these efforts, accompanied by unprecedented levels of global cooperation.
