Abstract
Technological activities in Britain have been the subject of much recent debate, including discussion by the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology (1986), and by The Times, that not only published a series of articles (16–19 February 1987), but also scolded the Prime Minister for what it considered an unsatisfactory Parliamentary answer on the subject (21 February 1987). Like the authors of a number of earlier reports, we compare Britain’s technological activities with those in other countries, but over a longer period of time, with a greater variety of indicators, and in greater detail. We also present detailed data on the technological activities of specific British firms. In doing this, our purpose is twofold: first, to explore the validity of a number of factors advanced to explain Britain’s relatively poor performance, including the strategies and performance of specific British firms; second, to provide new data that we hope will provoke both public debate and research.
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© 1989 The British Association for the Advancement of Science
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Patel, P., Pavitt, K. (1989). The Technological Activities of the UK: A Fresh Look. In: Silberston, A. (eds) Technology and Economic Progress. British Association for the Advancement of Science. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-19655-5_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-19655-5_6
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
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