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The Politics of Innovation: Why Some Countries Are Better Than Others at Science and Technology

Author

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  • Taylor, Mark Zachary

    (Georgia Institute of Technology)

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Taylor, Mark Zachary, 2016. "The Politics of Innovation: Why Some Countries Are Better Than Others at Science and Technology," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780190464134.
  • Handle: RePEc:oxp:obooks:9780190464134
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Lamberova, Natalia, 2021. "The puzzling politics of R&D: Signaling competence through risky projects," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(3), pages 801-818.
    2. Mbassi, Christophe Martial & Messono, Omang Ombolo, 2023. "Historical technology and current economic development: Reassessing the nature of the relationship," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    3. Bonnín Roca, Jaime & Vaishnav, Parth & Morgan, Granger M. & Fuchs, Erica & Mendonça, Joana, 2021. "Technology Forgiveness: Why emerging technologies differ in their resilience to institutional instability," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    4. Filippetti, Andrea & Vezzani, Antonio, 2022. "The political economy of public research, or why some governments commit to research more than others," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    5. Muhammad Qasim, 2024. "A weighted average limited information maximum likelihood estimator," Statistical Papers, Springer, vol. 65(5), pages 2641-2666, July.
    6. Douglas S. Noonan & Shiri M. Breznitz & Sana Maqbool, 2021. "Looking for a change in scene: analyzing the mobility of crowdfunding entrepreneurs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(2), pages 685-703, August.
    7. Yadong Luo, 2022. "Illusions of techno-nationalism," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(3), pages 550-567, April.
    8. Jacob Greenspon & Erika Rodigues, 2017. "Are Trends in Patenting Reflective of Innovative Activity in Canada?," CSLS Research Reports 2017-02, Centre for the Study of Living Standards.
    9. Nazareno, Luísa & Schiff, Daniel S., 2021. "The impact of automation and artificial intelligence on worker well-being," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    10. Helveston, John P. & Wang, Yanmin & Karplus, Valerie J. & Fuchs, Erica R.H., 2019. "Institutional complementarities: The origins of experimentation in China’s plug-in electric vehicle industry," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 206-222.
    11. Zofio, Jose Luis & Aparicio, Juan & Barbero, Javier & Zabala-Iturriagagoitia, Jon Mikel, 2023. "The influence of bottlenecks on innovation systems performance: Put the slowest climber first," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    12. Cooiman, Franziska, 2021. "Veni vidi VC – the backend of the digital economy and its political making," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, issue Latest Ar, pages 1-1.
    13. Esfandiar Maasoumi & Almas Heshmati & Inhee Lee, 2021. "Green innovations and patenting renewable energy technologies," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 60(1), pages 513-538, January.
    14. Carsten Deckert & Rahel M. Schomaker, 2022. "Cultural tightness–looseness and national innovativeness: impacts of tolerance and diversity of opinion," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 11(1), pages 1-19, December.
    15. Feng-Shang Wu & Hong-Ji Huang, 2024. "Why Do Some Countries Innovate Better than Others? A New Perspective of Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy Regimes and National Absorptive Capacity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-30, March.
    16. Meckling, Jonas & Nahm, Jonas, 2019. "The politics of technology bans: Industrial policy competition and green goals for the auto industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 470-479.
    17. Slavo Radosevic & Despina Kanellou & George Tsekouras, 2023. "The experimentation–accountability trade-off in innovation and industrial policy: are learning networks the solution?," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 50(4), pages 655-669.
    18. Steven Denney & Travis Southin & David A Wolfe, 2023. "Do winners pick government? How scale-up experience shapes entrepreneurs’ assessments of innovation policy mixes," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 50(5), pages 858-870.
    19. Gary A. Wagner & Timothy M. Komarek, 2023. "How does municipal governance structure affect innovation and knowledge diffusion? Evidence from U.S. metro areas," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 287-330, September.
    20. Núñez Rodríguez, Gaspar & Romero Tellaeche, José Antonio, 2020. "Nationalism and development: an alternative for Mexico," Revista CEPAL, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), August.
    21. Daniel Schwanen, 2017. "Innovation Policy in Canada: A Holistic Approach," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 497, December.
    22. Redding, Gordon, 2023. "Societal knowledge quality as catalyst for the competitive productivity of technology: One in a set of several universal processes in trajectories of societal progress," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(6).

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