The rapid pace of economic growth in China has been unprecedented since the start of economic reforms in late 1970s. It has delivered higher incomes and made the largest single contribution to global poverty reduction. Measured by international poverty lines, from 1978-2004, the absolute poor population in rural areas has dropped from 250 million to 26.1 million. Such gains are impressive and have been driven largely by a set of market-oriented institutional reforms, strong investment, and effective adoption and application of various knowledge and technologies, especially foreign ones through trade and foreign direct investment. While enjoying tremendous success, China also faces many challenges that need to be addressed to sustain its long-term development. These include weak institutions, low overall educational attainment, weak indigenous innovation capacity, poor links between research and development and industries, and so on. This paper provides an analysis of some strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges to China's knowledge economy in the areas of economic incentives and institutional regime, human capital, innovation system, and information infrastructure.

Illustrates how the production of knowledge has become central to economic life, and that competitiveness in the 21st century market place is characterized by the ability to translate scientific and technological knowledge into innovation. This book explains what we actually mean by the term 'knowledge'.

This book introduces a new perspective on the knowledge economy and the learning challenge it presents for individuals, communities and societies.

The growth of the global knowledge economy is transforming the demands of the labour market in economies worldwide. It will require workers to develop new skills and knowledge, whilst education systems will need to adapt to the challenges of lifelong learning, and these changes will be as crucial in transition and developing economies as it is in the developed world. This publication explores how lifelong learning systems can encourage growth, discusses the changing nature of learning and the expanding role of the private sector in education, and considers the policy and financing options available to governments to address the challenges of the global knowledge economy.

This volume synthesizes thinking on knowledge management and intellectual capital from a broad range of sources and identifies how human resource management can make a value-added contribution.