(Re)Centralization: How China is Balancing Central and Local Power in Science, Technology, and Innovation

Siwen Xiao and Yaosheng Xu

Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, Working Paper Series from Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, University of California

Abstract: China is centralizing its science and technology (S&T) sector while attempting to mitigate the costs of centralization. To this end, policymakers have designed “central-local joint action” mechanisms that balance the powers of central and local authorities. These mechanisms involve consultative processes led by the central government that aim to negotiate shared S&T investments in national priority areas with local authorities. In this policy brief, Siwen Xiao and Yaosheng Xu, research associates at IGCC, detail how these mechanisms are being implemented across three programs: the National Key Research and Development Program, the National Guidance Fund for Technology Transfer and Commercialization, and the National Centers of Technological Innovation. They also explore the challenges associated with recentralization and power balancing, which threaten to diminish China’s ambitious S&T goals to mere slogans, rather than unified and well-resourced national efforts.

Keywords: Social and Behavioral Sciences; china; centralization; central power; local power; science technology and innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024-03-25
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