We benefit from overseas science

By Anthony Batty | 11 August 2005

The economist Robert Samuelson explains in this Wall Street Journal article that Americans benefit when other countries create good scientists and develop new products.

one country's gain needn't be another country's loss. If a Swedish or Japanese company cures cancer or invents a super-efficient car, Americans would benefit quickly - just as Swedes and Japanese have benefited from technologies first developed in the U.S. If Microsoft's research center in Beijing develops stunning new software, the advances will soon be incorporated in Microsoft products world-wide.

The U.S. still dominates global research and development and its decentralized R&D; system (corporate, government and university laboratories; venture capitalists; freelance inventors) excels at moving ideas to market and constantly reinvents itself.

As countries become richer, they need more scientists and engineers simply to make their societies work: to design bridges and buildings; to maintain communications systems; to test products. This is a natural process. The U.S. share of the world's technology work force has declined for decades and will continue to do so. By itself, this is not dangerous.