An Overview of Scientific and Technological Activities in the Advanced Countries

The previous Chapters have outlined the processes of growing international competition and cooperation which are transforming the structure, performance and hierarchy of S&T activities in the advanced countries. The position of individual countries in these processes varies widely, both the strategies they pursue and the results they achieve being strongly influenced by the quantity, nature, and intensity of the technological knowledge and skills accumulated in the past. The differences across countries require a quantitative investigation of the characteristics shown by their innovative activities. This is the basis for comparison of national performances and the technology policies developed as a response to the competitive challenges in international markets.