News Media Language
Autumn term 2017, Group 402
Article 1
Read the Article from the New York Times.
Do the tasks.
Write a review.
Submit your reviews in the Commentaries.
The text of the Article and the Tasks are given below.
__________________________
Students’ Copy
On the
Innovation of Nations
GENEVA
Autumn term 2017, Group 402
Article 1
Read the Article from the New York Times.
Do the tasks.
Write a review.
Submit your reviews in the Commentaries.
The text of the Article and the Tasks are given below.
__________________________
Students’ Copy
On the
Innovation of Nations
Discussions
about economic performance, and levels of prosperity more broadly, have
inevitably been accompanied by a desire to classify countries so as to better
understand the forces that drive development and to improve economic policy.
Historically,
a distinction was made between “developing” and “industrialized” economies.
More recently, the term “emerging markets” came into vogue. Nowadays,
organizations like the World Bank try to steer clear of the value judgments
implicit in these terms by simply describing countries’ positions on the income
ladder — low, middle or high — and their rates of growth.
But this
present classification of national economic performance, based on income and
growth, highlights only the outcomes of a process. They offer no insight into
the factors that lead to these outcomes. In a quickly changing, increasingly
interconnected world — one in which more countries are moving up the ladder,
even as distributions of wealth and income are becoming increasingly
concentrated within countries — this kind of output-based categorization is
becoming archaic.
As an
alternative to traditional measures of growth, some people have called for
measures of “gross national happiness” and other broader measures of human
well-being. This is well and good, but to understand economic performance, a
classification based on the fundamental drivers of growth is essential. And
this classification, I believe, should be centered on how innovative a country
is.
The extent to
which an economy can develop higher value-added products, processes and
business models through innovation is a major determinant of long-term, sustained
prosperity.
The factors
that contribute to an ecosystem of innovation are many, and interconnected: A
strong scientific and technological base, investment from public and private
sectors, links between businesses and research centers, a high-quality education
system, political transparency, and a culture that encourages entrepreneurship
and risk-taking.
In the past,
innovation was regarded as the preserve of certain companies in a few advanced
economies. But today there are innovative companies in every region of the
world, including in countries traditionally been labeled “emerging” or
“developing.”
As countries
place greater emphasis on their capacity to innovate, their economic success
will be increasingly determined by whether and how countries can leverage their
innovation potential. This will create a new global divide, moving away from
one based on the static concept of income and toward one based on innovation
and the ability to support rising living standards over time.
Building an
innovation infrastructure, however, poses profound questions. Just as the
industrial revolution had political and social consequences — for labor, mass
education, the organization of corporations and the modern nation-state — that
took a century to understand, the impact of innovation is only starting to
become visible.
At the dawn
of the industrial revolution, the founders of the modern factory system in Britain
As the
political economist Joseph Schumpeter noted, innovation is a revolutionizing
force of constant change, propelling the economy via the “gales of creative destruction.”
While rapid
technological change is disrupting the traditional notion of a “job for life,”
it is also creating new opportunities: massive open online courses, or MOOCs,
the increasing sophistication of technologies that allow face-to-face interaction
across vast distances, and the growth of self-directed learning communities
have made life-long learning accessible to all.
But it also
must be recognized that the astonishing technological leaps of recent decades
have been accompanied by increased inequality. An innovative society may be a
less inclusive and more fragmented one. Silicon Valley in California
In sum, we
need to realize that while the costs of not innovating — lower economic growth
— are steep, so too is the price of innovation. The changes it brings to labor
markets, supply chains and social structures cannot be underestimated. So in
assessing nations according to their innovative potential, we must also take
into account how they manage the disruptive consequences of technological
change.
Klaus
Schwab is the founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum.
Learn the
following expressions.
Prosperous
countries
countries’
positions on the income ladder
innovative country
value-added
products
to label a country “emerging” or “developing.”
to leverage
one’s innovation potential
to create a
new global divide
to pose profound questions
At the dawn
of the industrial revolution
increased
inequality
a beacon of
global technological dynamism
Match the words the way they
are used in the Text.
|
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
|
emerging
economic
fundamental
major
sustained
political
advanced
innovation
spiritual
technological
labor
|
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
|
Infrastructure
determinant
markets
transparency
prosperity
leaps
drivers
descendants
performance
markets
economies
|
Insert appropriate prepositions.
This term has recently come … vogue.
They offer no insight … the factors that lead
to these outcomes.
Distributions … wealth and income are becoming
increasingly concentrated within certain countries.
The extent … which an economy can develop can
be measured.
Life-long learning is now accessible … all.
