Science, technology and industry are in a period of change, reflecting an ongoing move to a knowledge-based economy. Rapid technological progress, driven by a productive scientific community and increasingly efficient business practices, the growing role of information and communications technologies (ICT), a continuing shift to services, and the globalisation of economy and society are among the key forces behind this transformation.

The 1998 STI Outlook includes:

• A discussion of the prospects for science, technology and industry in the OECD area, drawing on recent trends in government and business research funding, technology foresight studies, and an analysis of structural change in OECD economies (Chapter 1).
• Recent trends in performance, based on comparative indicators for several areas of science, technology and industry, such as output, investment and productivity, research and development (R&D), patent activity and innovation and knowledge flows (Chapter 2).
• An overview of the broad changes in science, technology and industry policy across the OECD area (Chapter 3).
• A survey of recent trends and factors driving productivity performance, including a comparison of productivity levels across the OECD area and a discussion of the firm-level determinants of productivity growth (Chapter 4).
• An assessment of the impact of advanced technologies on mature (traditional) industries such as textiles, steel, automobiles and construction (Chapter 5).
• An examination of recent changes in R&D expenditure and spending behaviour in the public and private sector and how this might affect future technological change (Chapter 6).
• An analysis of the impact of ICT on the science system, in enabling communication and collaboration between scientists, in improving access to data and information, in revolutionising scientific instruments and in changing scientific publishing (Chapter 7 The Global Research Village).
• A 50-page statistical annex, which updates OECD data on science, technology and industry and provides information on the main OECD databases covering these areas.

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Documents

• Highlights (pdf, 167 Ko)
• Table of Contents (pdf, 23 Ko)

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Latest update 19 December 2000