Science Policy News
Competitiveness Through
Basic Research Investments
Steve Pierson, ASA Director of Science Policy
W
ith the federal budget running a
large deficit, scientists’ call for
more research funding must be
more than just “science is good for society.”
As I discussed in June’s article, the message
must be why we can’t afford to not increase
research funding. Competitiveness meets
that criterion—at least for the statistical,
mathematical, and physical sciences—be-
cause it is about jobs, particularly those
with good salaries and benefits at the heart
of our innovation economy.
The basic thesis of the competitive-
ness argument is that other countries are
rapidly building their science and technol-
ogy (S&T) infrastructure for an innova-
tion economy while the United States
remains complacent. There are many
indicators that support this thesis, and the
following simple model of an innovation
economy ties them together and illustrates
the extent of the United States’ competi-
Graphic by Don Engel
tiveness challenges.
One may think of our innovation econ-
omy as a pyramid, with prosperity being
the apex. The foundation of the pyramid
is new ideas—or discovery—out of which
Japan
comes new products and the new jobs to
United States
manufacture, market, and distribute the Korea
new products. A fundamental strength of
3.0%
Taiwan
the U.S economy is how dynamic it is: We
Singapore
are constantly creating new jobs, with ‘old’
China
GDP
jobs being offshored, or simply dissolved.
of
Jobs exist now that one wouldn’t have imag-
ined 10 years ago. Looking back to the turn
cent
2.0%
of the 20th century, a third of all U.S. jobs
P
er
were agricultural, a fraction that has since
as
shrunk to less than 1%.
R&D
Source: OECD Main
While there are many facets to keeping
1.0%
Science and Technology
oss
Indicators
the generation of new jobs healthy and our Gr
economy prosperous, we must ensure that
the base is vibrant; basic research is fun- 0.0%
damental to that end. Indeed, it is widely 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006
accepted on Capitol Hill that 30%–50% of
our economic growth since World War II
can be attributed to technical advances. Figure 1. Asian countries building their R&D investments
AUGUST 2008 AMSTAT NEWS 33
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