|
|
|
| Current Issue |
|
|
| Resources |
|
|
|
The Future of Science and Technology in the United States
| Article
# : |
14775 |
|
|
Section : |
NATURAL SCIENCE
|
| Issue
Date : |
11 / 1988 |
4,969 Words |
| Author
: |
Jurgen Schmandt
Jurgen Schmandt, professor emeritus at the LBJ School of
Public Affairs, University of Texas,is senior adviser to the
president of the Houston Advanced Research Center. He
specializes in environmental policy and regulation. |
Twenty years ago many Europeans, first among them President Charles de Gaulle of France, complained about a widening technology gap between the United States and the rest of the world. Their argument ran as follows: "New technologies, and eventually new industries, depend increasingly on the conduct of advanced research and development. The U.S. government spends heavily on research and development for defense and space programs. This investment represents a hidden subsidy for American industry. Private U.S. firms, taking advantage of government contracts, develop commercial applications of advanced defense technologies ahead of their European competitors. As a result, America unfairly dominates international trade in electronics, materials, aviation, computers, and other advanced technologies.” The U.S. government, at the time, rejected the charge and argued that its military R&D investment was a true defense expenditure, borne by America for the common defense of the West. There was no guarantee of a spillover into the private economy.
Today we know that the European argument was flawed. It assumed a much closer connection between defense technology and commercial technology than seems to exist. Japan, Korea, Singapore--countries with little or no defense R&D--and many European countries do well in international trade for precision-manufactured goods, while the United States is hurt by a huge trade deficit. Televisions, video recorders, and many electronic components are no longer produced domestically in the United States. As a result, the United States is concerned about a reverse technological gap. Its features seem contradictory at first look: The United States is still doing well in fundamental research--formerly assumed to be a precondition for doing well in technological applications--yet the United States is losing its international competitiveness in many high-technology fields. The evidence is disturbing, and some see it as proof that the post-World War II era has come to an end, and with it American world leadership. Is it possible to maintain the leading edge in science and apply this advantage for military superiority, but lag in civilian technological applications? Or will the end of U.S. economic leadership spell the end of its leadership in all domains? What explains the current difficulties facing the United States? What, more generally, are the respective roles of science and technology in gaining and losing international leadership, both militarily and economically?
There are several ways to look for answers. Management experts say that the problem is not with research in the United States, but that this country fails in management skills, such as entrepreneurship, training and motivation of
...
Read Full Article
Look for this article in Ask.com
|
|
