Working Paper: NBER ID: w20521
Authors: Richard B. Freeman
Abstract: Globalization of scientific and technological knowledge has reduced the US share of world scientific activity; increased the foreign-born proportion of scientists and engineers in US universities and in the US labor market; and led to greater US scientific collaborations with other countries. China's massive investments in university education and R&D has in particular made it a special partner for the US in scientific work. These developments have substantial implications for US science and technology policy. This paper discusses several policies that U.S. policy makers might consider in responding to the changing global world of science and technology. These include aligning immigration policies more closely to the influx of international students; granting fellowships to students working on turning scientific and technological advances into commercial innovations; and requiring firms with R&D tax credits or other government R&D funding to develop "impact plans" to use their new knowledge to produce innovative products or processes.
Keywords: immigration; international collaboration; innovation; science; technology policy
JEL Codes: F22; I25; O15; O33
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| globalization of scientific knowledge (F60) | reduction in US share of world scientific activity (F62) |
| increasing international collaboration (O36) | reduction in US share of world scientific activity (F62) |
| investment in education abroad by countries like China (I25) | reduction in US share of world scientific activity (F62) |
| influx of foreign-born scientists and engineers into US labor market (J61) | enhancement of productivity and innovation (O36) |
| international collaborations (O36) | speed up knowledge creation and dissemination (O36) |
| international collaborations (O36) | enhancement of innovation outputs (O36) |
| reliance on foreign-born talent (F22) | maintenance of US scientific edge (I23) |