The book develops the idea that a shift in the techno-economic paradigm creates opportunities for the rise of new firms, industries and countries to technological leadership, making the adoption of an adequate national system of innovation fundamental to success in such changes. This task is supported by a case study of how the Japanese System of Innovation has responded to the advanced materials revolution of the last two decades as well as diffusion of the information technology paradigm.

The book develops the idea that a shift in the techno-economic paradigm creates opportunities for the rise of new firms, industries and countries to technological leadership, making the adoption of an adequate national system of innovation fundamental to success in such changes. This task is supported by a case study of how the Japanese System of Innovation has responded to the advanced materials revolution of the last two decades as well as diffusion of the information technology paradigm.

This book demonstrates that long-awaited changes to technology policy and corporate strategy are now taking place in Japan. The study also questions whether it is the programme of reform or the will and ability to implement these reforms which is new. Contributors explore the repositioning of the Japanese science and technology system on three leve

Since 1960, Canadian industry has lagged behind other advanced capitalist economies in its level of commitment to research and development. Asleep at the Switch explains the reasons for this underperformance, despite a series of federal measures to spur technological innovation in Canada. Bruce Smardon argues that the underlying issue in Canada's longstanding failure to innovate is structural, and can be traced to the rapid diffusion of American Fordist practices into the manufacturing sector of the early twentieth century. Under the influence of Fordism, Canadian industry came to depend heavily on outside sources of new technology, particularly from the United States. Though this initially brought in substantial foreign capital and led to rapid economic development, the resulting branch-plant industrial structure led to the prioritization of business interests over transformative and innovative industrial strategies. This situation was exacerbated in the early 1960s by the Glassco framework, which assumed that the best way for the federal state to foster domestic technological capacity was to fund private sector research and collaborative strategies with private capital. Remarkably, and with few results, federal programs and measures continued to emphasize a market-oriented approach. Asleep at the Switch details the ongoing attempts by the federal government to increase the level of innovation in Canadian industry, but shows why these efforts have failed to alter the pattern of technological dependency.

A comprehensive treatment of the economic and global impacts of the advanced materials industry This book represents the first comprehensive investigation of the emerging international advanced materials industry and its profound impact on the world's industrialized and newly emerging economies. It examines the ways in which science, technology, business, and markets have converged to produce one of the most dynamic industries in recent years—one that is increasingly controlling global technological progress as a whole. From the unique vantage point of this crucial industry, this book illuminates the major differences in how the world's two economic superpowers—the United States and the European Union—perceive and carry forward the technology creation process and what these differences mean for achieving national and regional competitive advantage in the twenty-first century. It draws upon a rich body of source materials spanning from 1970 through 2007 as well as actual in-depth interviews and internal corporate and governmental documentation. The book is organized thematically, with each section highlighting critical perspectives on the rise of the international advanced materials industry and its impact on the relative competitiveness of the United States and the European Union. It concludes with a discussion of how what we have learned about advanced materials in the West tells us of the future competitive power of an emerging Asia. The Advanced Materials Revolution is essential reading for researchers, executives, and managers working in the advanced materials and related technological fields, as well as professionals and scholars in the academic, investment, consulting, and government communities. It also serves as a valuable case study textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in business, management, entrepreneurship, technology studies, chemical and materials engineering, economics, economic history, and regional and economic development.