Thursday, January 26, 2006
THE WEALTH/SCIENCE GRADE CURVE
There is a very interesting article on innovation & the scientific wealth of nations which compares the number of refered to (ie useful) scientific papers per capita with each nation's wealth. This is on Albion's Seeddlings 20th Jan there is also a graph on there which I think is well worth looking at.
The article is written from an American point of view about increasing the US relatively low level of per capita innovation compared to us intellectual Europeans but it can also be seen in reverse - that the UK, Israel, Switzerland, Netherlands, Sweden & Finland with very high scientific references are failing to reach the income predicted on the curve. Since the US & Ireland are the only significant countries outperforming the curve in income terms you will see where I am going.
Yes the countries whose income is to the left of the curve are (except for Isreal & Switzerland) ones with a high proportion of government spending & high business taxes. Those to the right of the curve are defiantly free market.
This is not to underplay the importance of a very good scientific establishment, particularly at the top end & if I was American that is what I would be pushing for, but our main lack is clearly the lack of a lack of overbearing government.
The article is written from an American point of view about increasing the US relatively low level of per capita innovation compared to us intellectual Europeans but it can also be seen in reverse - that the UK, Israel, Switzerland, Netherlands, Sweden & Finland with very high scientific references are failing to reach the income predicted on the curve. Since the US & Ireland are the only significant countries outperforming the curve in income terms you will see where I am going.
Yes the countries whose income is to the left of the curve are (except for Isreal & Switzerland) ones with a high proportion of government spending & high business taxes. Those to the right of the curve are defiantly free market.
This is not to underplay the importance of a very good scientific establishment, particularly at the top end & if I was American that is what I would be pushing for, but our main lack is clearly the lack of a lack of overbearing government.
