A New Approach to Assess the Technological Complexity of Different Categories of R&D (with Examples from Singapore)

• Main Authors: Amsden, A., Tschang, Ted Feichin
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2003
• Subjects: Technological capabilities; Research and development classification; Multinational corporations; Government policy; Strategic Management Policy; Technology and Innovation
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/2284; https://doi.org/10.1016/s0048-7333(02)00080-x
• Institution: Singapore Management University

This paper attempts to develop a set of generic questions the answers to which allow any given R&D activity to be correctly classified in one or another conventional R&D box—basic, applied, development, etc. Such systematic pigeon-holing allows latecomer countries to gauge the distance of their R&D activity from the world frontier, and how policies may be designed to overcome the hurdle that divides applied research and developmental research.