S&T human resources: The comparative advantage of the post-socialist countries

In post-socialist countries there is a mismatch between highly developed S&T human resources and lagging industrial restructuring. The lack of incentives and assistance, which discourage many more people from applying their research skills to industry, is the greatest blockage to these countries making the most of their human capital advantage. Political and economic reform, by themselves, do not necessarily point the way to a useful innovation strategy for the post-socialist countries. A high level of human resources directed toward the leading edges of technological and economic advance, such as in software and the Internet, point the way to such a strategy. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.