INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER IN MICROELECTRONICS

Federal, state and local governments have encouraged university-industry cooperation in recent years through a number of different policies and programs. Industry has increasingly been looking to universities for new ideas, closer collaboration and more timely access to research results. Various levels of government have become increasingly involved in joint funding with industry in new university-industry research centers and institutes. State and local governments spend considerable effort to attract high-technology industry, using university-industry collaborative programs as one incentive. Yet despite the theoretical and policy importance of this topic, it has received little systematic research attention.
This contribution reports the results of a National Science Foundation-funded study investigating technology transfer in microelectronics between Arizona State University located in the Phoenix metropolitan area and surrounding microelectronics firms. The results describe state and local initiatives influencing such technology transfer, how the initial technology transfer contact comes about, how research goals, topics and activities are decided upon, and how resources and funding support is secured. In addition satisfaction from, benefits and costs of, as well as attitudes bout technology transfer are reported.     

Science,Technology and the New President: Advancing Security,Prosperity, Resilience and Stability for 2009 and The 21st Century

At one time, only 20 years ago, the United States was the undisputed leader globally in virtually every field of science and technology with a reputation for being the place where innovation, technological breakthroughs and cutting‐edge science found a home and thrived. Not so any longer as several other nations, some friendly and others competitive rivals have surged ahead with a robust and growing infrastructure in the broad science and technology ['S&T’] field which surpasses many American programs and displays trends which will eclipse American leadership in the S&T realm. In nanotechnology, biotech and molecular engineering we find ourselves outperformed and outmaneuvered at risk of falling further behind other nations. The situation is not likely to change or improve unless the United States considers this problem to have serious strategic consequences and profound implications for our national security and prosperity.     

Universities and State Policy Formation: Rationalizing a Nanotechnology Strategy in Pennsylvania

Technology‐based economic development programs have become a salient feature of the state policy landscape since the 1980s. While much research exists on the topic, little attention has been given to the processes of policy formation. State programs have moved towards high technology areas emphasized at the federal level over the past decades, and nanotechnology became one of the latest targets. This paper examines the eight‐year process through which Pennsylvania adopted a “state‐wide strategy,” culminating in the Pennsylvania Initiative for Nanotechnology. In this process, programs that responded to the interests of multiple agents came first, and a state policy was formulated after the fact. This pattern of “rationalized policy formation,” as opposed to rational policy formation, may be more common than suspected. Its strengths and weaknesses in this Pennsylvania case are discussed.     

Employer-centered training for international competitiveness: Lessons from state programs

There has been a surge of new interest in federal training policy. This momentum has been fueled by concerns with productivity and competitiveness, whereas past federal policy has been more focused upon distributional issues. A wide range of new proposals have been put forth, and high on the list are initiatives to work directly with firms. As making employers the clients of training programs is a relatively new idea, there is very little past federal experience to draw upon. However, in recent years states have experimented with similar efforts, and these experiments provide an underused data source for assessing the traps and opportunities inherent in any national program. This paper reports the results of case studies in four states, two of which based employer-centered training in new state agencies and two of which housed the programs in community colleges. We identify issues of concern that arise in employer-based training programs and also suggest some possible solutions.     

体制创新是科技创新的重要保障--也谈"汤浅现象"与"李约瑟难题"

根据“汤浅现象,”中国在15世纪前曾是世界科技中心,而“李约瑟难题“则告诉我们,中国尔后在很长时期却没有保持住科技的优势并发育出近代科学。究其原因,体制的制约是关键。改革开放以来,随着对科学技术是第一生产力的倡导,随着科教兴国战略的实施,中国的科技发展势头迅猛,但各种体制问题仍然是影响科技创新能力提高的瓶颈。可以说,创新推动科研发展的经济体制,创新科技行政管理体制,创新教育体制,建立现代科研制度,是目前我国科技发展的当务之急。     

POLITICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ASPECTS OF STATE HIGH TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS

The euphoria associated with bold new ventures by the states to initiate high technology development programs can obscure many of the political and economic realities that condition and constrain them. This article introduces and explores the implications of a number of hypotheses about these relationships. Current state high technology development programs are placed within historical context by comparing current initiatives with the science/research-based economic development strategies of the 1960s. Potential conflicts among universities, state officials, and other parties-at-interest related to the time frame and payoffs of high technology development programs are identified and discussed.     

Science and Technology for Economic Growth. New Insights from when the Data Contradicts Desktop Models1

Science and technology policy initiatives in the early 1980s have focused in both the United States and Western Europe on improving capacity to apply a good science base in practice, expecting increases in technological advancement, improved market presence and enhanced economic growth. Results varied broadly in the United States and Europe. Even more puzzling, Japan charged ahead in technological advancement without that strong of a science base of its own. Some industrialized economies do not conform to the expected science–technology relationship, whereby strong performance in science shall lead to strong technological performance. The puzzling science–technology relationship in advanced countries has plausible explanations. (1) Science–technology relationship is much interdependent or symbiotic. Its strength and primary direction at a given time varies largely by field of science or technological innovation and across long periods of time. (2) Science–technology link in a country may depend on the overall scientific and technological level of development in that country. The strength and interdependent nature of this link evolves historically and varies across fields of science and technology. The strength of the link is affected by scientific and technological specialization in a country. Different technological fields have different scientific intensities, or degrees of building upon the science base. (3) Specialization of countries across scientific and technological fields varies. Hence, the strength of science–technology link differs between countries. High technological specialization of a country may impact its technological performance more than its immediately current scientific performance does. History, tradition and knowledge transfers may affect more returns on R&D expenditures than the actual value of R&D funds spent in science or technology. Explanations of puzzling behavior of science–technology link may become policy recommendations.     

Netzwerke und Koppelgeschäfte in der europäischen Elektrizitätspolitik

Within the field of political science package deals have come to be well known as a strategy to overcome decision blockades within the European Council. However, the following essay argues that besides the Member States’ Heads of State or of Government the European Commission and large firms can agree on package deals within negotiations at European level as well. By means of the example of the liberalisation of the electricity market this article shows that networks of European electricity policy constitute the institutional framework in which options for package deals between the two actors may arise. In addition, three main dimensions are examined to demonstrate the plausibility of package deals empirically. Firstly, the formal powers of the EC Commission and the exchange resources of large electricity firms respectively, secondly, the divergence of interests as well as, thirdly, the short-termed change in preferences of the Commissions’ and firms’ actors involved in an exemplary elucidated merger decision.     

Constitutional Amendment and Revision Revisited

State constitutional amendment and revision procedures differsubstantially from formal procedures for amending the US Constitution.Popular participation and frequent change in state constitutionscontribute to significant differences between state and nationalconstitutional politics. State constitutions are widely perceivedto be "political’ documents, whose amendment is not muchdifferent from ordinary legislative and electoral politics.The U.S. Constitution is regarded as relatively permanent and"above politics." Neither perception is wholly accurate. Differencesbetween state and national procedures and politics are at issuein the recent revival of state constitutions as sources of civilrights and liberties. An analysis of constitutional amendmentssuggests that use of the ballot proposition, which is uniqueto the states, tends to restrict civil rights somewhat in criminaljustice while somewhat expanding support for new rights in otherareas, including those not fully protected by the national government.     

Innovating Science Policy: Restructuring S&T Policy for the Twenty-first Century1

Over the next twenty years, accelerating scientific and technical developments will spawn immense changes to society that can be both crucially beneficial and tragically destructive. This trend, principally occurring outside of government control, is both helping the United States to improve defense and economic security and producing threats to national security. To deal with these increasingly technical issues, the nation's leadership needs to be armed with considerable scientific and technological acumen. Hence, the United States should explore the creation of a national security science and technology (S&T) strategy that improves: (1) scientific analysis available to decision makers; (2) understanding of the S&T needed to maintain national security; (3) coordination and collaboration among S&T providers; (4) control of dangerous technologies; (5) technology prioritization and acquisition processes; and (6) the dialog on enhancing the application of the products of private sector and foreign research for American national security purposes. Policies that address these issues will have to achieve the difficult balance between government and scientists’ influence over research and development (R&D). This article explores how to better deliver technical advice to high-level decision makers, as a means to better deal with emerging threats that are enabled by the rapid innovation and proliferation of scientific knowledge throughout the world.     

Multiple objectives in environmental protection programs

This research demonstrates the need for and the usefulness of a multi-dimensional approach to the management of environmental programs. While the thrust of the paper is toward environmental quality programs the conceptual development is appropriate for many public sector programs. The paper describes an experiment in the determination of multi-dimensional objectives within three programs in a state environmental quality program. In addition, measures of effectiveness, based on the multi-dimensional objectives, are proposed as relevant measures of program effectiveness.This research was sponsored in part by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources under contract SPC 412070 and in part by the Center for the Study of Environmental Policy, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.     

THE DELIMITATION OF GOVERNMENT REGIONS AND STATISTICAL AREAS IN AUSTRALIA

Over the past decade State and Commonwealth governments in Australia have become increasingly concerned with the regional scale of activity where region, defined at its broadest, refers to an area which is larger than the Local Government Area (LGA) and smaller than the State. This concern arose in part with belief that "some programs and services of government are most efficiently and effectively planned, coordinated and delivered at a level intermediate to those of State and Local Government". This in turn reflected the growth in importance of the regional scale for the whole gamut of social and economic functioning. Rapid technological changes in transport and communication; the tremendous growth in personal mobility over the past 30 years; the rapid urban growth; the powerful organizing role of urban centres and the increasing interdependence of town and country have all made the regional unit a very significant spatial and functional entity which it is impossible to ignore when organizing activity of any sort. In particular this "shrinkage of space" has enabled both public and private sector activity to be organized effectively over much larger areas than previously, while technological changes have increased the scale at which many services, especially those involving physical plant, are most efficiently performed.     

Measuring Disparity in Government Procurement: Problems with Using Census Data in Estimating Availability

The Supreme Court's ruling in City of Richmond v. J.A. Croson (1989) has restricted the use of government procurement assistance programs for minorities and women without the prerequisite support of a disparity study. Recently, an increasing number of disparity studies have been rejected by the courts as "junk science" and the related programs have been ruled unconstitutional. A central issue in these cases has been the approach used to estimate the availability of minority and women firms. Data from the Economic Census are commonly used as the basis for these availability estimates. However, there are significant problems and limitations with the Census data relative to the Croson guideline that the availability of women and minority firms should reflect the number of qualified, willing, and able firms. Given the number and difficulty of the required adjustments to the Census data, it is unlikely that these data will provide availability estimates that are accurate enough to allow for valid statistical tests of an inference of discriminatory exclusion. If minimizing court challenges is a goal of the public administrator who is responsible for the program, then the recommendation here is that a primary source of availability data should be considered. Furthermore, the information system needed to support the women and minority assistance programs should be designed and installed prior to initiating the program.     

State‐Funded College Scholarships: General Definitions and Characteristics

State‐funded scholarship programs are transforming the way citizens and policymakers think about higher education. Advocates see these programs as a remedy to problems facing the state workforce such as “brain drain” and “unequal opportunity” for a sound education. Opponents see low retention rates and the number of already‐privileged students receiving benefits as signs that these programs are not reaching their maximum potential. This article traces the development of state‐funded college scholarships from earlier need‐based programs to current merit‐based programs and outlines current debates on policy effectiveness. Currently, 14 states have a state‐funded scholarship program. Differences between programs revolve around the political and economic circumstances of each state.     

Universities and the market for intellectual property in the life sciences

The realms of science and technology in the life sciences are converging through the commercialization of university research. Major changes in the mandate of research universities were facilitated by both federal legislation that has promoted technology transfer, and the increased reliance of business firms on university research and development (R&D). This article discusses the primary factors that are blurring the division of labor between industry and academia in the life sciences, and analyzes the consequences for universities of treating knowledge as intellectual property. Universities’ efforts to enhance the commercial value of life sciences research is causing increased politicization of government research funding, a growing winner-take-all contest between the “have” and “have-not” universities, and subtle but potentially profound changes in the culture of academic research.     

China’s Rise as an Advanced Technological Society and the Rise of Digital Orientalism

As China has risen as an advanced technological society, a new type of Orientalism—Digital Orientalism—has likewise emerged. Using historical materialism, this paper details these developments, including China’s change from a civilization-state to modern nation-state and its transition from a technical state to an advanced technological society, closing the technology gap that had left it vulnerable to foreign aggression and continued forms of international dominance and hegemony. It reviews and develops theories associated with technological societies, and how these relate to technophobia generally and the rise of Sino(techno)phobia specifically. It then theorizes three distinct but overlapping trends or themes in Orientalist depictions of China over the past two centuries: 1) ‘classical’ Orientalism, first theorized by Edward Said; 2) ‘Sinological Orientalism,’ described by Daniel Vukovich; and now 3), ‘Digital Orientalism,’ which was first introduced by Maximilian Mayer. This paper develops analyses associated primarily with the third theme, investigating contemporary developments in the context of China as a rising power and how scholars and other nations have responded in turn. It argues that China appears to have surpassed others now as a technological society, including the US, with China’s response to COVID-19 as a clear example, and with clear implications for China’s national advancement and global position vis-à-vis the United States particularly.

     

Does Effective Espionage Lead to Success in Science and Technology? Lessons from the East German Ministry for State Security

This article explores the question of whether effective scientific-technical intelligence can enhance an economic and technological level of a country. It opens with a general discussion of Eastern Bloc scientific-technical espionage, then presents some common elements of effective espionage and turns to the East German Ministry for State Security's Sector for Science and Technology in order to explore the question. Examples from the computer industry and three biographical cases of agents working in digital telephone switching, computers and military technology reveal the extent to which the espionage was integrated into the science system—the ultimate success of scientific-technical espionage.     

Incentivizing self‐regulation: Federal vs. state‐level voluntary programs in US climate change policies

How does program sponsorship influence the design of voluntary programs? Why and how do voluntary programs on climate change sponsored by the state and federal governments in the United States vary in their institutional design? Scholars emphasize the signaling role of voluntary programs to outside stakeholders, and the excludable benefits that induce firms to take on non‐trivial costs of joining voluntary programs. Scholars have noted several types of benefits, particularly reputational benefits programs provide, but have not systematically studied why different programs emphasize different types of benefits. We suggest that excludable benefits are likely to take different forms depending on the institutional context in which program sponsors function. We hypothesize that federal programs are likely to emphasize less tangible reputational benefits while state programs are likely to emphasize more tangible benefits, such as access to technical knowledge and capital. Statistical analyses show the odds of a voluntary program emphasizing tangible benefits increases by several folds when the program is sponsored by the state as opposed to federal government.     

The United States,Japan and the aerospace industry: from capture to competitor? 1

Abstract

For all its success in other high-technology sectors, Japan has largely failed to develop a strong aerospace sector. Its leading firms do not market finished aircraft and, in stark contrast to other sectors, the aerospace industry features a trade deficit with the United States. Japanese firms seem trapped as suppliers of components and sub-assemblies, mainly for the US industry. The general explanation for this state of affairs is that the Japanese industry has been effectively ‘captured’ by the United States; Boeing in particular dominates the sector and has effectively locked the Japanese firms into a relationship where moving up the value chain is difficult. This relationship may be changing. Japan's government has placed renewed emphasis on developing Japan's aerospace sector, while matters are evolving at the corporate level too, with Boeing's relations with Japan revealing a steadily increasing work share for the Japanese industry. The rise of Asia as an important market, and technological change making aerospace more like other manufacturing industries, presents Japanese firms with new incentives and opportunities beyond the US relationship.