Global Research and Development: An Overview

From the Conversable Economist:

Reinhilde Veugelers investigates the patterns of worldwide research and development spending in a Policy Contribution for the European think-tank Bruegel: "The World Innovation Landscape: Asia Rising?"  The results are a useful reminder that thinking of China and the rest of the emerging economies as depending on low wages to drive their economic growth is so very 20th century. In this century, China in particular is staking its future economic growth on R&D spending and innovation.

As a starting point, consider snapshots of global R&D spending in 1999 and in 2009. The share of global R&D spending done by the United States, the European Union, and Japan is falling, while the share done by China, South Korea, and other emerging economies is rising.

Looking at individual countries, China has now outstripped Japan for second place in global R&D spending, and China's R&D spending is similar to that of Germany, France, and Italy combined....MORE 

The Bruegel link is to a 14 page Scribd.