Innovation in China

China is in the midst of transitioning from a manufacturing-based economy to one driven by innovation and knowledge. This up-to-date analysis evaluates China's state-led approach to science and technology, and its successes and failures.

In recent decades, China has seen huge investments in high-tech science parks, a surge in home-grown top-ranked global companies, and a significant increase in scientific publications and patents. Helped by state policies and a flexible business culture, the country has been able to leapfrog its way to a more globally competitive position.

However, the authors argue that this approach might not yield the same level of progress going forward if China does not address serious institutional, organizational, and cultural obstacles. While not impossible, this task may well prove to be more difficult for the Chinese Communist Party than the challenges that China has faced in the past.

Introduction: From the World's Factory to the World's Innovator?

Chapter 1 - China's Science and Technology Policy - A New Developmental State?

Chapter 2 - Science and Technology in China: A Historical Overview

Chapter 3 - China's Science and Technology Enterprise: Can Government-Led Efforts Successfully Spur Innovation?

Chapter 4 - China's International S&T Relations: From Self-Reliance to Active Global Engagement

Chapter 5 - How Effective Is China's State-Led Approach to High-Tech Development?

Chapter 6 - Xi Jinping's Chinese Dream: Some Challenges

"This highly important work gives us insightful analysis founded on a tremendous depth of scholarship and interviews. It is the most comprehensive account of China's innovation system through a western lens."
—Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, University of Alberta

"Innovation in China offers a masterful account of China's innovation system, its working, and its impacts (for better and worse). A must read for those who care about innovation, China, or both."
—Dan Breznitz, University of Toronto

"The various aspects related to the effectiveness of China's industrial and innovation policy have long been debated and analysed, but have never been fully understood. [...T]his book will be a valuable source for scholars and practitioners alike."
—Asian Affairs

Richard P. Appelbaum is Professor Emeritus and former Distinguished Research Professor and MacArthur Chair in Global and International Studies and Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara

Cong Cao is Professor in Innovation Studies at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China

Xueying Han is Research Staff Member at the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI)

Rachel Parker is Senior Director of Research at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR)

Denis Simon is Executive Vice Chancellor at Duke Kunshan University