Industrializing Knowledge: University-Industry Linkages in Japan and the United States [Hardcover]

Lewis M. Branscomb (Editor), Fumio Kodama (Editor), Richard Florida (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 8, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0262024659 | ISBN-13: 978-0262024655

There is intense public interest in the role of universities as a source of science-based innovations. To increase our understanding of this role, this book compares the economic effects of university research in the United States and Japan--countries similar in economic and technological capabilities but different in culture, tradition, and institutional structure. Incorporating historical, sociological, and industrial perspectives, the book discusses both the mechanics of university-industry interactions and how policies encouraging such interactions can address regional and national needs.Some of the results of this comparative study are surprising. For example, contrary to common assumptions, collaboration between individual faculty members and colleagues in industry appears to be as high in Japan as it is in the United States. It also becomes clear that it is the pace of technological change, more than government incentives, that puts universities in the position of driving the most exciting areas of business growth. Finally, although universities are vital to the networks that lead to innovation-based growth, experience in both Japan and the United States suggests that policies aimed at transforming economically depressed areas through the promotion of university-based ventures are difficult to implement when the environment for economic transformation is weak.Contributors : Lewis M. Branscomb, Amy B. Candell, Y. T. Chien, Henry Etzkowitz, Irwin Feller, Richard Florida, Michael S. Fogarty, Gerald Hane, Takehiko Hashimoto, Adam B. Jaffe, Sumio Kakinuma, Shingo Kano, Robert Kneller, Fumio Kodama, Hiroto Kotake, Josh Lerner, David C. Mowery, Masamitsu Negishi, Richard R. Nelson, Fujio Niwa, Hiroyuki Odagiri, Seiritsu Ogura, Yoshiyuki Ohtawa, Kenneth Pechter, Bhaven N. Sampat, Amit Sinha, Sheryl Winston Smith, Yuan Sun, Katsuya Tamai, Shinichi Yamamoto, Mariko Yoshihara, Arvids Ziedonis.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lewis M. Branscomb is Aetna Professor in Public Policy and Corporate Management, Emeritus, at Harvard University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 650 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (October 8, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262024659
• ISBN-13: 978-0262024655
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,626,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Author of the bestselling The Rise of the Creative Class and Who's Your City? Richard Florida is a regular columnist for The Atlantic. He has written for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and other publications. His multiple awards and accolades include the Harvard Business Review's Breakthrough Idea of the Year. He was named one of Esquire magazine's Best and Brightest (2005) and one of BusinessWeek's Voices of Innovation (2006). He lives in Toronto, Canada.