Innovation policy configuration – a comparative study of Russia and China

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a study of innovation policy configurations in two BRICS countries, Russia and China; the fastest growing and most innovative countries in recent years. Employing a three-dimensional framework which maps policy objectives, policy instruments and policy implementation, the research analyzes a database of 485 policy items issued between 1990 and 2013. Twenty-five innovation policy variables have been scrutinized vis-à-vis the three policy dimensions. The paper compares the experiences of Russia with China, across these three policy dimension areas, revealing the similarities and differences in innovation policy configurations. The research identifies how innovation management in both Russia and China has been shaped by contrasting histories, state institutions and economies. The paper offers an alternative perspective to the debate on the effective management of innovation, a debate currently dominated by the experiences of the USA, Japan and Western Europe.

KEYWORDS:

• Innovation
• S&T
• innovation policy
• policy instruments
• policy objectives
• policy implementation
• BRICS

Notes on contributors

Professor Fan Li is Professor and Head of Department of Marketing at Beijing International Studies University. Her research interests cover innovation policy, service sector management, FDI and R&D. She obtained her PhD from Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing and spent six months at Kingston University as part of her PhD training. Professor Li has led and carried out a range of projects on innovation and innovation policy, funded by National Social Science Fund of China, the Humanities and Social Sciences Projects Fund of Ministry of Education and the Humanities and Social Sciences Key Projects Fund of Education Commission of Beijing Municipality. She has published widely in innovation policy, FDI and multinational corporations, marketing and tourism.

Lynne Butel Currently Director of Postgraduate Programmes in the Faculty of Business at University of Plymouth, with teaching and research interests in international business strategy. Lynne read for a PhD in economics at Lancaster University. She has considerable experience of applied research, working on over fifteen UK government and Research Council funded KTP (Knowledge Transfer Partnerships) projects with a range of public and private sector organizations, focusing on innovation management. She has published widely, including in high-quality international journals, and a book, Business Functions (Blackwell). She is currently supervising five PhD students and has supervised many others to successful completion.

Professor Peijie Wang is Professor of Finance at University of Plymouth, UK, Affiliate Professor at IÉSEG, France, and at Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) and Fudan University, PRC. Prior to Plymouth, he was Full Professor at IÉSEG and University of Hull. He held faculty and visiting positions at a number of institutions, including Manchester Business School, UMIST, University of Manchester, Cass Business School, City University. Professor Wang has led and participated in a range of projects, including the management of R&D, FDI and trade, capital structure and governance, and innovation and innovation policy. He has published widely in top and fine journals in international finance and monetary economics, real estate, international business strategy, governance and financial markets.

Notes

1. They are R&D Intensity, Manufacturing Capability, Productivity, High-Tech Density, Tertiary Efficiency, Research Concentration, and Patent Activity.

2. S&T policy, STI policy and innovation policy are adopted interchangeably by international organizations (cf. EC 2012; OECD 2012, 2014).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by National Social Science Fund of China [grant number: 12CGL015] on comparative studies of innovation policy in BRICS countries, which we acknowledge with gratitude.