China's National Innovation System in Transition

Abstract

Geographic scale has been central to the debate on studies on technological innovation. Through a brief examination of China's science and technology history since the 1950s, this study suggests that the role of the state is crucial for understanding the structuring, restructuring and performance of China's innovative system. During the pre-reform era, China's national innovation system was a centrally commanded and segregated system with a clear orientation towards strategic weaponry development, which led to its imbalanced performance in military and civilian technology development. Since the early 1980s, China's national innovation system has experienced shifts towards civilian-orientation, increasing roles of industries, and closer interactions among industries, universities, and government. The incremental approach of reforming China's national innovation system is strongly shaped by its gradualist strategy in its political and economic reforms. During the process, the Chinese government has been very active in guiding the changes. As such, studies at the national scale are indispensable for understanding the dynamics of innovation, in addition to studies at the global and local/regional scales.

Keywords: China, National innovation system, State, Innovation

JEL Classification: O18, O31, O38, O53