China's Drive for the Technology Frontier: Indigenous Innovationin the High-Tech Industry by Li Yin, associate professor of public policy at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University, has been officially published by Routledge, the world’s leading academic publisher.
In the fall of 2020, Li was invited by Routledge to write a book on China’s indigenous innovation. Based on his previous research results as well as today’s global landscape and domestic policies, Li completed the draft and took the time to make about ten revisions. In March, the manuscript went through typesetting and proofreading and now the book is available on major online book platforms in the U.K. and U.S.
Li Yin was invited to be the judge of the Youth Innovation Competition on Global Governance (YICGG).
►Writing books in English to change the West's perception of indigenous innovation in developing countries
"My original intention in writing this book was to take China as an example to give the public in the West a wider, more comprehensive and correct understanding of the development path of indigenous innovation in developing countries," said Li.
He explained that all successfully industrialized countries, including China, have carried out their own research while learning high technologies from advanced economies at some point in the process of development. " So, the key question is not whether China can innovate on its own — the answer to that is surely yes — but rather how China carries out its own innovation," he added.
One of the most prominent features of China's indigenous innovation is that since the introduction of the National Medium and Long-Term Science and Technology Development Plan (2006-2020), it has always been important to take indigenous innovation as a long-term national strategy and to be persistent with it, in order to understand the inevitability and the characteristics of China's indigenous innovation.
Employing the “social conditions of innovative enterprise” framework, this book analyzes how the interaction between strategy, organization, and finance in leading Chinese high-tech firms underpinned by favorable state policies enables indigenous innovation with Chinese characteristics. It features detailed case studies of two critical high-tech industries — the telecommunications equipment industry and the semiconductor industry — and within them, the course of development of leading Chinese innovators. The in-depth look into China’s experience in indigenous innovation provides valuable lessons for advanced and emerging economies.
Li believes that the Chinese government’s continuous investment in and accumulation of scientific and technological resources and talent capacity since the founding of the country is the most important foundation and guarantee of Chinese enterprises’ indigenous innovation, but whether these resources can be successfully translated into innovation capacity depends on how enterprises make use of these resources. "The next step for China is to consider how to optimize the institutional arrangements to allow more ambitious enterprises willing to innovate to develop and grow."
►Focusing on doing quality research and developing students' critical thinking skills
After obtaining his Ph.D. degree in the U.S., Li joined Fudan University at the beginning of 2018, and has since continued his research on China's technological innovation. He has published relevant papers in English and Chinese in journals at home and abroad.
Li said he preferred the academic environment that Fudan University provides for young researchers.
"Whether it is publishing papers or writing monographs, had Fudan not provided such an ideal environment for me to do research at my own pace, I would not have complete my work in a very detailed and comprehensive way," he said.
As a teacher at Fudan, he believes that teaching can inspire him on research ideas. He has given courses on "Economics of Technology Innovation" (in English), "Science and Technology Policies and Innovation Management" and "Social Science Research Methods" at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs.
Li focuses on developing students' critical thinking skills and encourages in-class discussions. "When studying policy issues, students will encounter different points of view, and they need to learn to make dialectical analysis, form their own style of thinking, and put things in a bigger picture. This is more important than reading tons of books and papers," he said.
►About the Author
Li Yin, assistant professor of Public Policy at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University, and senior research fellow at the Shanghai Center for Innovation and Governance, Fudan University, obtained his bachelor’s degree in Economics and Master of Economics from Renmin University of China and University of Massachusetts. Li also holds a PhD from the Georgia Institute of Technology. His research focuses on science and technology policy, innovation and development, and emerging technology.
Li has published more than 20 papers in reputable journals in the field of technology innovation research, such as Research Policy, Technovation, JASIST and other Chinese and international journals.
Presented by Fudan University Media Center
