Title: The role of the public sector in technology development: generalisations from general purpose technologies

Authors: Vernon W. Ruttan

Addresses: Department of Applied Economics and Department of Economics, University of Minnesota, 332 Classroom Office Building, 1994 Buford Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA

Abstract: In the science and technology policy literature that emerged in the early 1980s, it was held that, while public support for science is appropriate, public support for technology development represents an unproductive use of public resources. The perspective that emerges in my recent book, Technology, Growth and Development: An Induced Innovation Perspective (Oxford, 2002) is quite different. Government has played an important role in technology development and transfer in almost every US industry that has become competitive on a global scale.

Keywords: technology development; institutional innovation; public sector R&D; general purpose technology; nuclear power; computers; biotechnology; technology policy; technology transfer.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBT.2004.005502

International Journal of Biotechnology, 2004 Vol.6 No.4, pp.301 - 323

Published online: 12 Oct 2004 *

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