A survey of evolutionary policy: normative and positive dimensions

We explore public policy from the perspective of evolutionary analysis. Potential entry points for developing a normative evolutionary policy theory are examined, which involves a critical examination of the related idea of “evolutionary progress”. The meaning of evolutionary policy is next studied from two different, normative and positive angles: namely, policy design informed by evolutionary thinking; and policy-making and politics as an evolutionary process. Several examples are provided to discuss the value of evolutionary thinking for policy, including in the context of the current economic crisis. Next, evolutionary policy is compared with policy advice coming from two dominant schools of policy analysis, namely neoclassical economics and public choice theory. We conclude that evolutionary thinking offers a distinct and useful perspective on public policy change and design. Nevertheless, there is a need for more synthesis and coherence among different studies as well as for policy experiments and in-depth empirical studies.     

香港科技创新发展研究--基于2018-2021年香港财政预算案

香港特别行政区第五届政府自任职以来展现出致力推动本地科技创新发展的强大决心并投入大量资源和精力。本文以本届香港特区政府发布的4份财政预算案为基础,采用定性研究方法对其进行解构分析,从特区政府角度考察香港科技创新发展政策的侧重点及当前发展趋势。研究发现,本届特区政府在支持香港有关科技创新发展政策上侧重于关注资金投入、平台建设、人才培养、企业研发及STEM教育5个方面,逐步形成以发展自身优势科研领域,打造智慧城市,争夺全球科技人才,引领经济转型升级为主的科技发展趋势。最后,针对香港目前面临的发展困局,提出了推动政策落实、融入粤港澳大湾区建设、打造国际化平台等推动科技创新长远发展的政策建议。     

Market failure vs. system failure as a rationale for economic policy? A critique from an evolutionary perspective

This paper reconsiders the explanation of economic policy from an evolutionary economics perspective. It contrasts the neoclassical equilibrium notions of market and government failure with the dominant evolutionary neo-Schumpeterian and Austrian-Hayekian perceptions. Based on this comparison, the paper criticizes the fact that neoclassical reasoning still prevails in non-equilibrium evolutionary economics when economic policy issues are examined. This is more than surprising, since proponents of evolutionary economics usually view their approach as incompatible with its neoclassical counterpart. In addition, it is shown that this “fallacy of failure thinking” even finds its continuation in the alternative concept of “system failure” with which some evolutionary economists try to explain and legitimate policy interventions in local, regional or national innovation systems. The paper argues that in order to prevent the otherwise fruitful and more realistic evolutionary approach from undermining its own criticism of neoclassical economics and to create a consistent as well as objective evolutionary policy framework, it is necessary to eliminate the equilibrium spirit. Finally, the paper delivers an alternative evolutionary explanation of economic policy which is able to overcome the theory-immanent contradiction of the hitherto evolutionary view on this subject.     

Multiple equilibria arising from donor’s aid policy in economic development

This paper presents a neoclassical growth model comprising education and child labor with a focus on developing and aid-receiving countries to demonstrate cyclical growth and bifurcation in economic development. The appearance of multiple equilibria has often been attributed to the internal affairs of recipient countries, such as technology in production, subsistence minimum in consumption, and liquidity constraints in investment. The main argument of this paper is that the aid allocation policy employed by donor countries, thereby the motive of aid-providers, leads to divaricated and cyclical development in the recipient countries.     

Discursive Contestation on Technological Innovation and the Institutional Design of the UNFCCC in the New Climate Change Regime

ABSTRACT

Under the new climate change regime ushered in by the 2015 Paris Agreement, technology development and transfer have emerged as essential means of global action for climate change mitigation and adaptation. In particular, technological innovation has appeared as a leading component to be accelerated, encouraged, and enabled under the Paris Agreement. However, while making the rule book to implement the Paris Agreement, a clash has occurred between developed and developing countries over the meaning of technological innovation and the intervening policies of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to support innovation in developing countries. By exploring rule-making processes and expert-meetings under the UNFCCC, this paper examines how this discursive contestation has progressed in relation to the meaning of technological innovation and the creation of an appropriate institutional design to support developing countries’ achievement of technological innovation. The analysis is based on the theoretical framework of discursive contestation between the two discourses of de-regulatory ecological modernisation and green governmentality with right-to-development. This research concludes by positing some policy implications.     

STATE OWNED ENTERPRISES AS INSTRUMENTS OF INNOVATION POLICY

This article expands the literature on the rationales and governance of state owned enterprises (SOEs). We show that SOEs could be seen as instruments of innovation policies and change agents within broader innovation systems that can overcome many of the conventional challenges of innovation policy and its implementation, from coordination and implementation of policies and innovation system actor networks to financing innovation. We review the existing literature on the rationales of SOEs and extend it to include innovation as a central rationale. Thereafter we provide a taxonomy that reveals the necessary policy and managerial conditions and constraints for using SOEs as instruments of innovation policy. We place some of the better‐known innovation‐oriented SOE successes and failures into this taxonomy and show that this approach will allow in future research to explore different SOE practices and potential for using SOEs as innovation policy instruments across countries.     

国家科技创新能力时空差异性评价

科技创新规模扩张和科技创新效率提升是增强国家科技创新能力的两条关键途径。基于现有研究鲜有结合科技创新规模和科技创新效率开展国家科技创新能力评价的现状，采用因子分析法，系统筛选国家科技创新规模影响因素，并结合科技创新效率影响因素，完善国家科技创新能力评价指标体系，通过构建DEA Malmquist指数模型，评价不同时期国家科技创新效率变化指数，以及中国与全球10个国家科技创新能力的时空差异性。研究表明，R&D投入强度、R&D研究人员、专利申请量、科技期刊文章数、高科技产品出口额占制成品出口总额的百分比、科技创新效率是影响国家科技创新能力的关键指标；1991-2014年中国科技创新能力水平呈指数增长态势，有力提升了国家科技实力；全球10个国家科技创新能力水平除日本出现一定波动外，其余九国整体呈小幅递增态势。     

R&D补贴与商前采购:互补还是互替——创新政策过程视角的比较研究

科技创新体系绩效不仅取决于单项政策效果，更取决于政策间的组合效应。运用两组案例，从政策过程视角对R&D补贴与商前采购（PCP）的项目筛选机制和项目管理机制进行比较分析，结果表明，PCP与R&D补贴同时存在互补和互替关系。作为一种新兴创新政策工具，PCP不仅同样具备缓解研发融资约束的功能，还存在两个方面的潜在优势：一是有利于采购方发挥需求信息和应用环境信息方面的优势；二是在政策执行机制上更加精准，特别适用于实现“点的突破”。积极引入新工具扩充创新政策“工具箱”，在认清工具属性基础上，发挥各种工具的独特优势，对优化创新政策组合设计，提升科技创新体系绩效具有重要价值。     

面向高质量发展的黄河流域科技创新空间极化效应演化研究

针对黄河流域科技创新发展中无序竞争、缺乏合作、强弱不均等现状，构建面向高质量发展的黄河流域科技创新集中度与极化度模型，分析其科技创新极化效应演化过程，并识别省际间“虹吸”效应与“涓滴”效应。结果表明，从流域整体层面看，黄河流域科技创新处于极低极化水平并呈持续下降趋势，强科技创新省区对弱科技创新省区形成弱“涓滴”效应；从上、中、下游分区域层面看，各区域科技创新均处于极低极化水平，并分别呈现持续上升、先升后降、持续下降趋势，强科技创新省区对弱科技创新省区依次表现为弱“虹吸”效应、先“虹吸”后“涓滴”、弱“涓滴”效应。最后，从提升科技创新资源配置质量、优化科技创新空间布局两方面提出政策建议。     

Evaluating the potentials of technical cooperation among developing countries

The main purpose of this article is to show that “there are optimal partners for technology transfer to be most effective,” and for many countries this may, in fact, mean looking for “technical cooperation among developing countries (TCDC).” In this article a technology transfer model has been presented, in relatively simple mathematical form, which incorporates both the dynamic and the spatial aspects of the innovation diffusion process. The existing models of technological change at a particular location, i.e., technological substitution, are shown to be special cases of the developed time-level model of technology transfer. The model has been applied to evaluate the international transfer potentials of the “computerization” technology. Optimal partners are identified and the prospects for TCDC has been evaluated. Model usefulness and related policy implications have been discussed in detail.     

多元知识探寻与后发企业技术创新

当后发企业由追随向引领转型时，将致力于对全球化技术、基础科学等多种知识来源的积极探寻，以推进自身技术创新。基于专利及引文数据，分析海外技术知识与科学知识对后发企业技术创新的影响效应。实证研究发现：海外技术知识转移水平与后发企业创新呈U型关系；知识来源的地理多样性则正向作用于后发企业创新。另外，企业科学关联度对后发企业技术创新未起到显著促进作用。在后发转型背景下，明晰企业对多元知识的技术学习机制和效果，对企业创新追赶及其国际化具有重要指导意义。     

The Role of the Health System in Health Biotechnology in Developing Countries

This paper examines the role of local health systems in developing countries in health biotechnology innovation. The heath systems encompass the final users of health biotechnology products and services. In innovation studies in general, users have been identified as playing vital roles as sources for innovation and in shaping the innovation process. It is therefore of interest to cast light upon the role of users in the health biotechnology innovation in developing countries. This paper briefly reviews literature on science and technology based health innovation in both industrialised and developing countries. It then examines to what extent the focus of developing countries is on their local health problems and explores the linkages between the organisations involved in research and development of health biotechnology products and services with the local health system, and thereby identifies the main roles of their own health systems in the innovation process. The paper bases this analysis on research on publication patterns and case studies on leading developing countries in health biotechnology and focuses particularly on health biotechnology development in Brazil, Cuba and India.     

区域科技创新资源配置效果的分形评价

科技创新资源配置效果是反映创新型国家和省区建设的重要尺度。为了科学准确地对其进行综合评价,本文基于结构决定功能的系统原理,运用分形理论,构建了区域科技创新资源配置效果分形评价模型,并对我国相关省、市、自治区的科技创新资源配置情况进行了分类评价,旨在为各区域制定科技发展战略与政策、实现科技创新资源优化配置提供决策支持。     

Toward closer links between science and society in India: A futuristic formula

This work presents a futuristic scenario of science and technology in India in relation to development and social change. Organizational, financial, developmental, etc. trends in science and technology have been identified as consequences of history, culture and national policy alternatives conceived in the past and perceived for the future. The present course of action is considered unlikely to bridge the existing gap between science and society in India. The findings are relevant for S&T policy and planning in the developing countries.     

区域科技创新政策绩效比较研究 ——基于北京、上海、天津和重庆的实证研究

本研究基于DEA-Malmquist指数模型测算北京、上海、天津和重庆四个直辖市的区域科技创新政策绩效,结合实证以全要素生产率变动指数tfpch衡量政策绩效,并对tfpch及其他指数结果进行分解和说明。结果表明,在一期滞后的前提下,考察的四个直辖市区域科技创新政策绩效只有北京略有提升,另外三个城市均有小幅降低,政策效果尚不明显,但这并不代表政策无效,而可能是由不同城市相异的政策滞后效应带来的。就北京来看,区域科技创新政策绩效的提升主要来源于技术进步指数techch的提升,即技术进步有助于提升科技创新政策绩效。本研究一方面为城市创新建设提供一定借鉴,另一方面也为创新导向的城市改进方案设计和区域科技创新政策的立改废提供思路。     

江苏科技金融与科技创新互动发展研究

科技与金融是经济发展的两大重要引擎。界定了科技金融内涵,揭示了科技金融与科技创新的相互作用机理,利用统计数据对我国和江苏科技金融与科技创新各变量进行了单位根检验、协整检验和格兰杰因果关系检验。研究结果表明：我国科技创新能有效带动科技金融发展规模的扩大,但科技金融对科技创新发展的促进作用还不够显著,科技与金融结合还有较大提升空间;江苏科技金融能有效带动科技创新投入,科技创新产出对科技金融发展具有积极的正反馈效应,公共科技金融对科技创新发展起主导作用,市场科技金融对科技创新产出的助推作用有待增强。最后,提出了促进江苏科技金融与科技创新互动发展的对策建议。     

On the existence of a market for second hand physical capital: An empirical test of the Keynesian and neoclassical assumptions

In this paper we test Keynesian and neoclassical assumptions concerning the existence of second-hand markets for physical capital. These alternative views of the dynamic profit maximizing firm lead to distinct equilibrium price equations. We use a sample of 4-digit SIC consumer goods and capital goods industries over 1967–1975 to test the relative goodness of fit of the competing price equations. We find consumer goods industries conform better to the Keynesian assumptions and capital goods industries more nearly approximate the neoclassical view of the world. We investigate the policy implications of our finding of sector heterogeneity by constructing a three-sector macro model with a Keynesian consumption goods sector, a neoclassical capital-for-consumption-goods-production sector, and a neoclassical capital-for-capital-goods-production sector. Comparative static analysis reveals that both monetary and fiscal policy variables have ambiguous short run effects on real variables in this heterogeneous three-sector model, which may be the minimum level of detail consistent with the observed behavior of US manufacturing industries.     

创新激励:公共财税政策的工具选择

自主创新是一国兴旺发达的不竭动力,是国与国之间科技竞争的焦点。由于技术创新存在市场失灵,所以政府有必要利用政策工具实施干预,以促进本国自主创新事业的发展。从我国实施自主创新政策选择的必要性分析入手,通过对技术创新的理论剖析,得出政府必须运用财税政策实施干预,以及如何进行自主创新导向的财税政策选择。     

Science policy mechanism and technology development strategy in the developing countries

The strengthening of science and technology is essential for economic growth in the developing countries. Effective science policy mechanisms do not suffice. An adequate infrastructure must be established—one that is conducive to this task. The paper focuses on the roles of government and industry in creating a favorable environment.