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China’s road to a global scientific powerhouse

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Listed:
  • Dabo Guan
  • David M. Reiner
  • Zhu Liu

Abstract

Drawing on the wider ‘catching up’ literature, we examine the rapid growth in Chinese spending on science and technology, which, in spite of its growing infrastructure, remains heavily reliant on foreign inputs. We examine both the economic and political drivers behind China’s scientific development, making a distinction between domestic investments and international technology trade. Firms provide over two-thirds of total R&D funding, most of which has been spent on ‘high-tech’ sectors for export production. The fastest growing research area is in environmental sciences and energy technology. China’s technology imports are shifting away from ‘technologies for production’, towards ‘technologies for innovation’, encouraged by the national development strategy on enhancing scientific research capacities. In particular, we present evidence from China’s imported technology contracts. Energy is the second largest sector after manufacturing in terms of imported technology contracts.

Suggested Citation

  • Dabo Guan & David M. Reiner & Zhu Liu, 2014. "China’s road to a global scientific powerhouse," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 1447, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    • Handle: RePEc:cam:camdae:1447
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    China; R&D; science and technology; spillovers; imported technology contracts;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy
    • N35 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Asia including Middle East
    • N75 - Economic History - - Economic History: Transport, International and Domestic Trade, Energy, and Other Services - - - Asia including Middle East

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