US can overcome India, China challenge: US scholar

[GoFlyKiteNow]

US can overcome India, China challenge: US scholar
Wednesday 12th January, 2011

The emergence of India and China does not mean the end of American economic and technological power, says a new book suggesting the United States should now leverage its many advantages.

Author Adam Segal, Senior Fellow at Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), a Washington think tank, analyses Asia's technological rise in the context of India and China's continued robust growth even as the United States struggles to emerge from recession,

In his book, 'Advantage: How American Innovation Can Overcome the Asian Challenge', Segal questions assumptions about the United States inevitable decline, and explains how America can preserve and improve its position in the global economy by optimising its strength of moving ideas from the lab to the marketplace.

Segal explains that Asia's growth has been fuelled by its 'hardware of innovation'-growing middle classes that will eventually outstrip the spending power of Americans, a cheaper labor force, more students studying to become engineers, and increased money pouring into research and development.

However, Segal maintains the region lacks a 'software of innovation'-a cultural, social, and political framework that enables and sustains new idea generation.

India's main problem, he writes, is a decrepit educational system.

Segal also cites a survey conducted by China Daily that found sixty percent of graduates with doctorates admitted they had copied someone else's work.

Through his research, Segal concludes the United States has an advantage over Asia in the realm of the software of innovation.

'In America, your ideas can make you rich. Intellectual property is protected, and individual scientists are able to exploit their breakthroughs for commercial gains,' he writes.

'It is time to realise that software in its most expansive sense offers the most opportunities for the United States to ensure its competitive place in the world.'

The challenge is 'to recover a culture of innovation that was driven underground, overshadowed by sexy credit default swaps and easy spending.'
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[longbow]

That guy is talking nonsense.

Hewlett & Packard; Jobs - major innovators all started their business in their garages. Note - these guys were not poor farmers, looking at the skies hoping the rain would come. These guys came from middle class, well educated families. They lived in decent houses with an attached garage (meaning they probably had cars).

I believe, when a society reaches a certain level of development, when their citizens have a good education (H&P, Jobs, Woz, Gates all had good education) make enough money to invest in their hobbies; some will have the opportunity to innovate and explore.

 

[Leongsam]

I believe, when a society reaches a certain level of development, when their citizens have a good education (H&P, Jobs, Woz, Gates all had good education) make enough money to invest in their hobbies; some will have the opportunity to innovate and explore.

That applies to many societies but I'm afraid is doesn't apply to Chinese and Indian societies. There are far too many character flaws in the gene pool of these two ethnicities.

 

[hahaho]

That applies to many societies but I'm afraid is doesn't apply to Chinese and Indian societies. There are far too many character flaws in the gene pool of these two ethnicities.

So, it boils down to genes eh ?
Quantity vs quality ?

 

[Leongsam]

So, it boils down to genes eh ?
Quantity vs quality ?

Any creative Chinaman or An Neh who bucks the norm with a bright idea would abandon China/India and take his project to the USA.

That's how the US stays ahead.

 

[Liquigas]

China and India have the numbers and talent but lacking in cutting edge. If they can produce ten 'von Neumanns' one can imagine what the world today will be like.

For info, John von Neumann was a Hungarian-born Jewish American mathematician who was also one of the early computer scientists. We owe to him for the extensive use of IT today. He also made major contributions in diverse fields - physics, set theory, game theory and the development of the first hydrogen bomb.

 

[longbow]

Humans are equally intelligent. It ALL depends on education, health care, diet and opportunity.

If a nation can provide 12 years of basic education (fllowed by Uni), provide decent public health care, do not have issues with poverty and starvation then they will be able to bring about a whole generation of kids with max potential.

Then you factor in statistics. If we are looking for a one in a million mathematician then China has 1400 and India has 1100, and so on.

Of course if you do not have that education/public health/decent diet - then that potential 1 in a million genius probably died early, spent his life herding goats or worse still, is a girl and has little opportunity.

China and India have the numbers and talent but lacking in cutting edge. If they can produce ten 'von Neumanns' one can imagine what the world today will be like.

For info, John von Neumann was a Hungarian-born Jewish American mathematician who was also one of the early computer scientists. We owe to him for the extensive use of IT today. He also made major contributions in diverse fields - physics, set theory, game theory and the development of the first hydrogen bomb.