A Chinese Bureaucracy for Innovation-Driven Development?

The Chinese party-state bureaucracy has made efforts to advance innovation and technological upgrading since the 2000s, drawing insights from the developmental state debate. Despite challenges like short-termism and limited monitoring capabilities, it has developed strong capabilities to advance innovation-driven development compared to other emerging capitalist economies.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 75 pages
Publication date: 21 September 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

The Chinese party-state bureaucracy has made significant efforts to promote innovation and technological upgrading since the 2000s. It examines insights from the developmental state debate, which emphasizes the importance of a bureaucracy for internal coherence and its ability to forge coalitions between bureaucrats, businessmen, and scientists. Additionally, it assesses efforts to foster technological upgrading in the semiconductor and electric vehicle industries. While China faces challenges such as short-termism, limited monitoring capabilities, and flawed discipline over business, the authors argue that the Chinese bureaucracy has developed strong capabilities to advance innovation-driven development compared to other emerging capitalist economies.

The Element also seeks to provide avenues for comparing China with other late developers, such as Japan and South Korea. It explores the similarities and differences between these countries' approaches to promoting technological upgrading and discusses the challenges they face in achieving sustainable economic growth. The authors argue that China's experience with rapid economic growth has led to a focus on short-term benefits, which has resulted in environmental degradation, social inequality, and limited innovation. However, they also note that China has made significant efforts to address these issues, such as implementing environmental regulations, promoting social welfare programs, and investing in research and development.

In conclusion, this Element provides a comprehensive analysis of the Chinese party-state bureaucracy's efforts to promote innovation and technological upgrading. It highlights the challenges and opportunities that China faces in achieving sustainable economic growth and compares its approach with other late developers. The authors argue that while China has made significant progress, there is still room for improvement in terms of promoting long-term sustainability and innovation-driven development.

Weight: 156g
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 7 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781108972215