Labour Management as Development of the Integrated Developmental State in China

The application of the developmental state concept outside its birthplace in East Asia is generally unsuccessful. The culprit is the ‘laundry list’ method commonly seen in the literature. In this paper a ‘strategic capacity’ conceptualisation is used instead, with emphasis on its diverse institutional underpinnings. The paper demonstrates that the Chinese state's approach to industrial relations is integrated with its national development strategy and that crafting institutions of labour management is part of the state's effort at building up its strategic capacity for political, social and economic management. The study delineates the factors shaping labour management institutions, paying special attention to the communist heritage that sets China apart from other developmental states. As such, the concept of developmental state has much wider application.     

Technology innovation and entrepreneurial state: the development of China's high-speed rail industry

China proactively promotes indigenous technology innovation towards developing an innovation-based economy. This contradicts the developmental state literature that puts emphasis on technology imitation. Drawn from the strategic entrepreneurship perspective, this article explores the role of the government in China's technology innovation process. Carrying out a case study in the high-speed rail (HSR) industry, it suggests that it is best to understand the Chinese government as an entrepreneur in moving China's HSR industry towards technology innovation-driven development, through three dimensions of state-led strategic entrepreneurship: alertness to opportunities, resource exploration and consolidation, and strategic learning. This article highlights the importance of strategic entrepreneurship to the government in an emerging economy context and contributes to the literature by building a conceptual framework of ‘entrepreneurial state’.     

Technology and the firm

The globalization of the economy is a process driven by the enterprise. As enterprises form networks of alliances they tend to create huge oligopolistic structures on a global scale. Although these global enterprises are not subject to national norms, it is evident that a new alliance is growing up between the enterprise and the state. In the context of fierce international competition, enterprises need the support of the state, which is able to ensure that its 'national champions' enjoy optimum conditions for development; in return, successful enterprises are the state's best guarantee of national independence. But through this alliance the enterprise has acquired a totally new legitimacy, approaching that formerly reserved for the state, while the state finds itself engaged in global economic competition, which lacks adequate regulatory procedures. There is also a growing disassociation between globalized economic power on one hand, and political power conjned within national borders, on the other. There is a need to formulate a new regulatory framework, in order to overcome a situation where actors representing particular interests impose their own rules on actors representing the public interest. Such a framework would encourage the emergence of a transnational civilian society able to mobilize itself in the face of global economic, technological and environmental problems.     

战略性新兴产业发展规律及对策取向研究

战略性新兴产业是以重大技术突破和重大发展需求为基础,对经济社会全局和长远发展具有重大引领带动作用,成长潜力巨大的产业,是涉及国家竞争力、国家影响力、国家安全和国家战略目标实现的产业。加快培育和发展战略性新兴产业,是抢占世界未来科技制高点、把握经济发展主动权的战略选择,是转变经济发展方式、调整经济结构的根本途径。本文在对新兴产业发展理论分析的基础上,就新兴产业的内涵和特征、新兴产业的产生来源进行了研究,提炼出了新兴产业的选择标准和培育准则,并就培育和发展我国战略性新兴产业的对策给出了相关建议。     

The switchover to digital broadcasting in Korea

This study investigates the development of Korean digital TV transition by tracing the interaction between social and technological entities from various perspectives at different developmental stages. A socio-technical analysis examines the dynamic interactions among the stakeholders in the switchover to digital broadcasting, showing how the various actions taken by leading stakeholders affect diverse groups of stakeholders. The overall findings show that Korean digital TV transition is the outcome of a proactive strategy by industry stakeholders and the Korean government's top–down policy of supporting such a transition. It is argued that the policy of a top–down transition, which overlooks coordination among stakeholders, harms consumers and hinders effective and sustainable development. The case of Korea has implications for other countries that are pursuing digital transition strategies.     

Strategic responses to fuel cell hype and disappointment

This article investigates the interplay of expectation dynamics and innovation processes at the level of organizations and at the innovation system level. We examine how different kinds of organizations contributed and responded to a recent hype and disappointment cycle in the field of stationary fuel cells. Among others, we trace how innovation and discourse activities changed and we explain the observed differences in strategic responses. We show that the sensitivity of organizations to expectation dynamics depends on at least three factors: the strategic embedding of the new technology, the organization's dependence on external legitimacy and its role in the innovation system. Moreover, we show that – in their aggregation – strategic responses affected the level of the technological innovation system as well. Not only did the pace and direction of innovation activities change, but structures such as actor constellations and institutions were also modified. Our study thus provides insights into the interplay of expectation and innovation dynamics, which is important for our understanding of larger transformation processes, e.g. toward more sustainable modes of energy supply.     

中国战略性新兴产业生产绩效——基于细分行业的随机前沿生产函数的分析

文章运用随机前沿超越对数生产函数和2007-2011年战略性新兴产业各行业的面板数据,研究了我国战略性新兴产业各行业的前沿技术进步率、技术效率以及全要素生产率的特征。实证结果表明:五年间,我国战略性新兴产业的全要素生产率增长快速,为我国经济的平稳较快发展作出了重要贡献;前沿技术进步率基本一直呈现正增长,成为推动我国战略性新兴产业全要素生产率增长的主要动力;技术效率一直呈现正增长但增长幅度较小。因此,提高技术进步将是促进我国战略性新兴产业全要素生产率增长的关键所在,同时提高战略性新兴产业整体的技术效率水平不容忽视。     

State Strategies and the Geopolitics of the Global Knowledge Economy: China,India and the Case of Regenerative Medicine

The global competition between states for position in the uncertain future of the life sciences brings a new dynamic to the intersection between geopolitics and the global knowledge economy. Armed with distinctive approaches to innovation in new health technologies, the emerging economies of China and India are determined to challenge the traditional hegemony of the developed countries in areas such as regenerative medicine where the promised biotechnology future is said to lie. Yet although the political belief that there is a future value for regenerative medicine is global, the precise nature of that future when measured in terms of the path of the science, the market demand, the cultural response, the commercialisation process and its associated business models is obscure. Drawing on theories of the competition and developmental state, I analyse the factors that shape a state's response to the promise of regenerative medicine, the strategies of ‘speculative innovation’ that may be adopted in pursuit of geopolitical advantage in this uncertain field, and the adaptive qualities necessary for a state's effective competition in an age of globalisation. This analysis is then applied to the emerging economies of China and India to assess their geopolitical strategies in regenerative medicine innovation, their current position in this part of the knowledge bioeconomy, and their likely impact on its continuing globalisation.     

Determinants of technological change in the service industries

The Service Industries provide numerous examples of how technological change may be impeded. Either the economic state of the industry or the state of scientific and engineering knowledge can limit inventive activity and productivity advance. Consumer ignorance, lack of producer incentives, complex production interdependencies, and market fragmentation are only a few factors limiting the role of demand in stimulating the discovery and diffusion of new services and production techniques. On the cost side, technical uncertainty, time horizons, and discount rates affect decisions to engage in R & D. In addition, strategic market considerations, such as potential entry, reaction speeds of rivals, and numbers of competitors affect the benefits from early introduction of new technologies. These institutional and economic considerations need to be taken into account for technological forecasting related to the Service Industries.     

大型国有企业专利竞争力研究

在市场经济的今天,只有掌握核心技术,注重技术创新的企业才能更好地生存和发展下去。专利技术不仅为企业创造竞争优势,而且作为知识经济时代新的生产要素从根本上影响着行业的竞争结构。我国企业尤其是大型国有企业的经营目的不只是营利,更在于引导我国产业结构升级和培育新兴产业,为此,在相关领域内需要起带头作用,在研发和创新方面投入大量人力、财力。如何在众多的研发领域中选择最优领域,如何评价相关技术创新活动,事关国有企业的发展和产业成果的转化,最终影响的是整个国家的经济发展。文章将探讨大型国有企业尤其是电力企业如何在众多专利评价指标体系和方法中选择最适合自身发展的体系和方法,利用专利形成抢先优势,带动相关行业的发展。     

International,intra-national and inter-firm knowledge diffusion and technological catch-up: the USA,Japan, Korea and Taiwan in the memory chip industry

Using data on US patent citations, this paper investigates the pattern of international, intranational and interfirm knowledge diffusion in the process of technological catch-up by Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese firms in the memory chip industry. First, regarding international diffusion, this paper finds that the ordering of citations is exactly the same as the order of entry into the industry: Taiwanese firms tend to cite Korean firms, Korean firms tend to cite Japanese firms and Japanese firms tend to cite US firms. Second, the degree of intranational knowledge diffusion is proportional to the level of technological capability or order of entry, although it is also affected by organisational differences among the firms. Third, the difference in patterns of interfirm knowledge reflects difference across organisations, such that big Korean group firms are less oriented toward interfirm knowledge diffusion compared with their Taiwanese small and medium enterprise (SME) counterparts. To explain such difference, the role of government research institutions has been highlighted, especially since the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) accounts for the lion's share of Taiwanese-held patents and in the spin-offs of many firms in the industry.     

Do unions discourage economic activity?

Previous examinations of the influence of unions on economic activity fail to use a measure of unionization that varies both by state and industry. Such a failure introduces the possibility of serious specification errors, a possibility confirmed by comparing traditional estimates which suggest unions depress a state's economic activity with new estimates which reveal no such effect.     

中国战略性新兴产业培育与发展支撑体系建设研究

战略性新兴产业的形成和发展有其内在的产业和技术成长规律,需要具备一定的产业和技术基础及较为完善的支撑体系。中国发展战略性新兴产业面临着体制性障碍、产业基础区域差距悬殊、核心技术缺乏、基础研究薄弱等问题,可借鉴欧美发达国家战略性新兴产业培育和发展的经验启示,积极整合生产要素、技术要素、市场需求、产业政策等各大要素的作用,构建完善的产业支撑体系、政策支撑体系和服务支撑体系,以促进中国战略性新兴产业的稳健发展。     

Investment-Specific Technical Change in the United States (1947–2000): Measurement and Macroeconomic Consequences

By extrapolating Gordon's measures of the quality bias in the official price indexes, we construct quality-adjusted price indexes for 24 types of equipment and software (E&S) from 1947 to 2000 and use them to measure technical change at the aggregate and at the industry level. Technological improvement in E&S accounts for an important fraction of postwar GDP growth and plays a key role in the productivity resurgence of the 1990s. Driving this finding is 4% annual growth in the quality of E&S in the postwar period and more than 6% annual growth in the 1990s. The acceleration in the 1990s occurred in every industry, consistent with the idea that information technology represents a general-purpose technology. Furthermore, we measure for the aggregate economy and different sectors the “technological gap”: how much more productive new machines are compared to the average machine. We show that the technological gap explains the dynamics of investment in new technologies and the returns to human capital, consistent with the Nelson–Phelps conjecture. Since the technological gap continues to increase—it more than doubled in the past 20 years—our evidence supports the view that at least some of the recent increase in productivity growth is sustainable. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: D24, O47.     

The Role of State Fiscal Policy in State Economic Growth

Do state policy makers have the ability to affect a state's rate of economic growth? This article examines one possible source of growth and per capita output level disparities by studying the role that state taxation and public expenditure decisions play in fostering economic development. Using pooled annual U.S. state‐level data from 1972 to 1998, a fixed‐effects model is employed to examine the effects of changing tax rates on both state per capita output levels and growth rates. The results indicate that higher tax rates negatively influence short‐run state economic growth, which lowers state output levels. However, long‐run growth is unaffected by changes in state tax rates, even after adjusting for the effects of initial per capita output levels, state expenditures, and aid from the federal government. Nor do changes in state public spending rates and federal aid permanently alter state growth rates, implying that state fiscal policies have only transitory effects on state growth. (JEL H71, O40, R11)     

Lagging productivity growth: Measurement,technology, and shock effects

One of the most important problems about which economists have professional knowledge is lagging productivity growth. After illustrating some significant developments this paper addresses three questions: (1) To what extent does R&;D activity drive productivity growth, (2) how do alternative measures of productivity affect the conclusions and (3) how did the oil price shocks and the increased openness of the U.S. economy affect productivity growth? After removing the influence of the extremely dynamic computer industry, average manufacturing industry productivity in the U.S. throughout the 80s grew at a disappointing pace. And it didn't improve in the most dynamic industries. But there is good news as well. First, part of the 1970s productivity slump is clearly attributable to the 1973–74 oil price shock. Second and more important, technological innovation does not appear to have lost its power in driving productivity growth forward. Indeed there is evidence of stronger and more consistent productivity effects from R&;D investment during the 1980s, although the exact channels through which R&;D enhances manufacturing sector productivity are left in doubt. Estimates of the role inter-industry technology flows play are sensitive to aggregation and the conventions used to construct the industry price deflators underlying productivity measures.     

高新技术企业并购研究——基于战略目标

目前全球已进入一个新的技术竞争时代,全球技术资源状态与研发体系以及技术变更速度的加快已经改变了原来的产业竞争方式,以速度为支撑的技术竞争已经成为主流,通过并购获得技术优势成为新的选择。高新技术企业凭借其高成长性和未来预期的高收益性目前已成为全球并购市场的焦点。企业基于战略来选择并购目标可以从根本上保证目标企业与自己的战略匹配。文章对高新技术行业发展的特点与规律进行研究,发现高新技术企业广泛大量并购技术型小企业是由高新技术行业的发展规律决定的,高新技术企业收购的实质是收购人才,在不同发展阶段其并购的动因与目标也不同。通过对思科的并购战略及并购目标选择规律进行研究,以期为我国高新技术企业并购目标选择提供借鉴与启示。     

Economic performance of state‐owned enterprises under the Chinese Communist Party's supervision: Some reflection on China's economic reform

This study examines the economic behaviour of state‐owned enterprises in China with special emphasis on the role of the state's sole party as either an agent (management) or supervisor in the enterprises. It is found that with the construction of an incentive‐compatible compensation design and the Chinese Communist Party orchestrating an appropriate objective guideline for its members to follow, state or socialist capitalism could still achieve efficient economic performance. If party members did not behave prudently or pursued their personal interests instead of the state's overall welfare, there could be grave consequences, including corruption, nepotism or even the breakdown of the system.     

The changing pattern of industrial technology linkage structure of Korea: Did the ICT industry play a role in the 1980s and 1990s?

The notion of the knowledge-based economy highlights the strategic importance of inter-industrial knowledge flows. Among others, the crucial role of information and communications technology (ICT) industry is emphasized. The pattern whereby technological knowledge is created, accumulated and disseminated through the interactive learning among industries can be portrayed as a network. Based on the network theory, this empirical study analyses, from the dynamic perspective, inter-industrial technological knowledge structure of Korean industries during the reference period of early 1980s to mid-1990s. Overall, the density of the network increased over time, implying that the knowledge network has expanded and intensified. The role of the ICT industry in the global network has also increased but needs to be further strengthened, especially informatization of non-ICT industries by the outflow of ICT industrial knowledge in the future. The findings in turn render some important policy implications that should be addressed in developing technology policy.     

新能源汽车产业发展的政策支持

新能源汽车是低碳经济的必然选择,代表汽车产业的发展趋势。新能源汽车产业化发展的直接推动力就是国家的相关扶持政策。美国、日本和欧洲的发达国家对新能源汽车技术高度重视,从汽车技术变革和产业升级的战略出发,颁布了优惠的政策措施。中国新能源汽车产业的发展也在政府支持下开局、破局和蓬勃发展。