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Here is one likely root cause of China's rapid rise and US' relative stagnation: "“Of 200,000 doctorates in science and engineering earned worldwide in 2010, a

Here is one likely root cause of China's rapid rise and US' relative stagnation: "“Of 200,000 doctorates in science and engineering earned worldwide in 2010, about 33,000 were awarded by universities in the United States, China 31,000, Russia 16,000, Germany 12,000 and the United kingdom 11, 000,” says the report." "But China leads the world when factoring in doctorates in the biological, physical, Earth, atmospheric, ocean and agricultural sciences and computer sciences." "Also, in the United States only 57% of doctorates were earned by citizens and permanent residents, while temporary visa holders obtained the remainder." [1] China's figures are likely higher now in 2018. Note that there appears to be some quality issues that come with the acceleration of China's PhD production, although initiatives are being taken to reform the system. [2] In the long run, the advantage of having an abundant number of STEM and CS graduates to recruit from may prove highly impactful, or even decisive, for many tech-based industries. To compete, the US needs to develop more local talent in STEM as well as attracting talent from abroad. A focus on the very top-end by doing groundbreaking research, which the US has often excelled at, might also be necessary. [1] http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20140227152409830 http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=2014022... [2] https://www.editage.com/insights/where-does-china-stand-in-the-global-phd-boom https://www.editage.com/insights/where-does-china-stand-in-t...

hux_ 9y ago
Hardly matters what groundbreaking research the US does if it's happening neck deep in a celeb worshiping, engagement metric obsessed culture. Unless you are an Elon Musk type P.T. Barnum character good luck getting any attention. All I forsee happening is NASA, National Science Foundation etc being run by YouTube stars soon.
majos 9y ago
I'm reluctant to use "number of PhDs" as a proxy for "depth of tech talent pool". PhDs in the US have become somewhat odd -- I see advertisements on public transit (!) for quick doctoral programs in all sorts of fields, and many of these programs appear to be PhDs in name only, awarding degrees with little to no connection with actual original research. So a PhD alone is no longer an indicator of actual research ability but just another academic credential to slog your way through. I would guess something like this holds in China as well, possibly confounded by 1. China's different political culture, which appears to blend political advancement and academic titles in a weird way, 2. a stronger cultural emphasis in China on academic titles, and 3. China's historical preference for people with science/engineering backgrounds (rather than, say, law as in the US) to lead its state. If anything I imagine China's loose regulatory environment, abundant supply of citizens unconcerned about data privacy, and sheer number of people trying things are bigger advantages.

hux_ 9y ago

Hardly matters what groundbreaking research the US does if it's happening neck deep in a celeb worshiping, engagement metric obsessed culture. Unless you are an Elon Musk type P.T. Barnum character good luck getting any attention. All I forsee happening is NASA, National Science Foundation etc being run by YouTube stars soon.

majos 9y ago

I'm reluctant to use "number of PhDs" as a proxy for "depth of tech talent pool". PhDs in the US have become somewhat odd -- I see advertisements on public transit (!) for quick doctoral programs in all sorts of fields, and many of these programs appear to be PhDs in name only, awarding degrees with little to no connection with actual original research. So a PhD alone is no longer an indicator of actual research ability but just another academic credential to slog your way through. I would guess something like this holds in China as well, possibly confounded by 1. China's different political culture, which appears to blend political advancement and academic titles in a weird way, 2. a stronger cultural emphasis in China on academic titles, and 3. China's historical preference for people with science/engineering backgrounds (rather than, say, law as in the US) to lead its state. If anything I imagine China's loose regulatory environment, abundant supply of citizens unconcerned about data privacy, and sheer number of people trying things are bigger advantages.