ECON 386 - China’s Technology Ascension

As an emerging global technology leader, China offers a fascinating example of how countries may strategize to first catch up with and then begin to expand the technology frontier. We start by examining how economists characterize knowledge, technology, and innovation, and their contributions to economic growth. We also consider how new knowledge is produced and how innovative activity is incentivized, taking into account issues of appropriability and diffusion. We then turn our attention to China to consider the evolution of policy towards technological acquisition and advancement, investigating both public and private sector initiatives and various kinds of support for them. We will examine several industry case studies to better understand China’s technological progress in concrete terms. Finally we conclude by exploring the future of technological competition and cooperation between China and the rest of the world.

Unit(s): 1
Group Distribution Requirement(s): Distribution Group II
Prerequisite(s): ECON 201
Instructional Method: Conference
Grading Mode: Letter grading (A-F)
Group Distribution Learning Outcome(s):

Evaluate data and/or sources.
Analyze institutions, formations, languages, structures, or processes, whether social, political, religious, economic, cultural, intellectual or other.
Think in sophisticated ways about causation, social and/or historical change, human cognition, or the relationship between individuals and society, or engage with social, political, religious or economic theory in other areas.