Asian knowledge-based economics: complex and convoluted.

• Author: Wang, Maria Y.
• Position: Book review: The New Asian Innovation Dynamics: China and India in Perspective - Book review

The New Asian Innovation Dynamics: China and India in Perspective

Govindan Parayil and Anthony P. D'Costa, eds.

(Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009), 320 pages.

The two Asian giants are more fascinating than ever. China is fresh from surpassing Japan as the world's second largest economy. Meanwhile India, also poised to become a superpower, finds itself in the precarious position of being both China's historical rival and a potential ally in many economic activities that could propel each to the heights of prosperity. (1)

Against this backdrop, many will be intrigued by The New Asian Innovation Dynamics, edited by Govindan Parayil, vice rector at the United Nations University in Tokyo, and Anthony P. D'Costa, professor in Indian studies at the Copenhagen Business School, Denmark. This twelve-chapter volume is a painstakingly detailed exploration of the trends, drivers, challenges and so-called systems of innovation in China and India in the information technology (IT), pharmaceuticals and biotechnology sectors. At its core, this work is a study of the dynamics of growth, with a focus on knowledge intensive activities--as distinct from labor, resource or capital-intensive ones--and how such activities are upgraded and upscaled in China and India.

The editors explain that they sought contributions from participants of the first international conference of the Nordic Institute for Asian Studies (NIAS), entitled "New Asian Dynamics in Science, Technology and Innovation," as well as others whose opinions could enable a balanced picture of the subject matter. It is therefore surprising that only two of the contributors were drawn from outside academia. This is particularly incongruous given that academic institutions are only one category of relevant actors and the book is concerned with how academia, government and multinational corporations interact with one another.

The volume is so rich in detail and jargon that it seems to presume a degree of prior knowledge with concepts of a "knowledge-based innovation system" and the theoretical frameworks through which such systems can be analyzed, such as the oft-cited triple helix model.

However, for those wishing to launch directly into The New Asian Innovation Dynamics, a suggested entree is chapter eight by Jan Vang, Cristina Chaminade and Lars Coenen. This chapter details the theoretical framework it proposes to use before delving into the complexities of knowledge-based systems in Asia, as...