Innovation and the role of government (3)
“While the U.S. and other OCED nations often started with similar technological capabilities, the U.S. emerged as a technological leader due in large part to multiple government actions that influenced the innovation system (…) Simply put, investing in R&D alone was not a strategy employed, nor a strategy that would have been effective.”
Vicky Norberg-Bohm, ed’s paper, “The Role of Government in Energy Technology Innovation,” Harvard University.
“Not all environments are conducive to innovation (…) the foundations for favorable environments can be provided by national governments and include sound fiscal and monetary policies, solid legal and regulatory structures, effective intellectual property protection, and a commitment to the principles of free markets.”
Merc on “Innovation”.
“The government has accomplished amazing things … but we think that we can do it less expensively (…) One of the main requirements is to have as little government involvement in the project as possible. We believe that space should be open to anyone and everyone, especially those people who want to go.”
Becky Ramsey, the X Prize Foundation’s director of communications for space projects, as quoted in A Pawloski’s article, “Google launches new space race to the moon,” on CNN.
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I selected the above three quotes because they appear to refer to different degrees of government involvement as far as innovation is concerned. In case you wondered, this blog is not aligned with a political party. So, if you were interested in tracking McCain’s and Obama’s views on innovation and technology, then I would suggest having a look at Astra’s comparison table.
Additionally, think tanks such as ITIF and Brookings have recently collaborated on a paper asking for a National Innovation Foundation. Those of you more interested in what’s going on on the other side of the Atlantic might like to go to the E.U.’s site on the European Innovation Policy.
The following is just an inventory of government related actions which would traditionally comprehend basic R&D, applied R&D, as well as market development and complementary policies:
Supply-push initiatives involve investments in R&D, which could be based on factors such as national interest, nurturing long term research and high risk technologies:
- Providing grants, tax incentives and low interest loans for independent innovators
- Funding intramural projects, e.g. national labs and agencies, the military, etc.
- Funding research conducted by public-private partnerships
- Funding research conducted by non-for-profits and universities
- Funding for incubators, industry clusters and venturesome initiatives
- Technology transfer and commercialization policies involving all or any of the above
Market development initiatives would involve policies spurring demand-pull and competitiveness:
- Tax breaks for early adopters of new technologies
- Public campaigns raising awareness and adoption of emerging technologies, e.g. trials, innovation awards
- Regulation as well as deregulation
- Standards as well as lack of thereof
- Intellectual property rights as well as open source
- Anti-trust, product liability and corporate responsibility policies
- Procurement of new technologies by the public administration, civilian agencies and the military
- The development, maintenance and upgrade of physical infrastructure such as transport networks
- Enabling forums for industry collaboration, knowledge sharing and technology transfer
- Statistics and innovation metrics
- Import - export policies and promotion of international trade
Other relevant policies and practices:
- Open public debate and expert consultation
- Continuous improvement of the educational system and professional training
- Facilitating geographical, professional and social mobility
- Immigration, visa policies and brain drain avoidance
I intent to write another couple of posts on this subject as I would like to share other views on the degree to which governments should or should not play a role to foster innovation. In the meantime, I will continue to welcome your emails and comments.
| J. de Francisco |  |
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| Chicago, IL. 22 June 08 |  |
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