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International indicators of science and technology: How does the U. S. compare?

Abstract

Because the basic determinants of innovative success are poorly understood, the data in SI-76 cannot support an unambiguous summary assessment of U. S. science. While some nations now rival the U. S. in relative expenditure for R&D, U. S. absolute expenditure still dwarfs that of any nation except the U. S. S. R., and the U. S. remains preeminent by most measures of technological capacity. However, the technology gap continues to narrow, bringing both costs and benefits to the U. S. Advances abroad threaten the U. S. position in some markets and exacerbate the nation's trade adjustment problems. But the nation may also benefit substantially from new opportunities to import as well as export advanced technology.

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References

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Some of the material in this paper is adapted from R. McCULLOCH,Research and Development as a Determinant of U. S. International Competitiveness, National Planning Association, Washington, D. C., 1978.

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McCulloch, R. International indicators of science and technology: How does the U. S. compare?. Scientometrics 2, 355–367 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02095078

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02095078

Keywords

  • Adjustment Problem
  • Relative Expenditure
  • Technological Capacity
  • International Indicator
  • Basic Determinant