The catching-up of Asian and European countries in ICT: from a new patent data perspective

Abstract

With ICT as an engine of economic growth, the mapping and monitoring of catching-up behaviour has high policy relevance for countries in trying to follow pace. Using a novel way of measuring and combining two sequential S-shaped catching-up stages (imitation and self-propagation), we compare the catching-up dynamics of three European and three Asian countries, taking US as the first mover. Based on logistic model, take-off time and growth rate parameters are estimated for the two distinct stages (imitation and self-propagation) whereby the combination of information on both curves reveals the specific catching-up pattern of the considered countries. The result shows that China and Korea start late but grow very fast in both stages.The caveat from such a dynamic is a short growth timer, leading to a lack of incubation and consequently an absence of potential to obtain sustainable growth. Japan’s catching-up pattern is much more similar to that of European countries. In general, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Korea and China are presenting a healthy catching-up pattern, but they have several ‘unhealthy’ subfields which need more attention to be paid.