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The global challenges now facing all nations transcend national boundaries. Summoning the global talent and resources necessary to addresses these problems will require global science, technology, and innovation (STI) collaboration. Whether climate change, global poverty, or the threats from cyber technologies, effectively dealing with these challenges and opportunities will increasingly require advanced industrialized nations to move beyond their historical techno-nationalist STI policies. Currently, STI policies being proposed in the US and elsewhere assume a " zero-sum " competition where one nation's STI successes are assumed to come at the expense of other nations. They seek ways to outcompete other nations in the production of new STI and restrict foreign access to their STI. History suggests that such policies had, at best, limited success, and the current environment for them seems even less promising. When China was a global STI leader, its tecno-nationalistic policies failed to prevent the spread of its advanced technologies and the rise of other nations. England was unable to use techno-nationalist policies to monopolize the skills and technology it pioneered during the industrial revolution. America pursued its own techno-nationalist polices in the post-World War II years, attempting to maintain the leadership it enjoyed as other countries recovered from World War II devastation. Today new centers of STI development are rapidly emerging and expanding in China, India, Southeast Asia, and other parts of the world. In response, many US policy makers and business leaders harken back to prior failed strategies and advocate intensifying the techno-nationalistic STI policies. This paper proposes a more techno-globalistic approach through the development of a global STI commons, an approach that holds the promise of benefiting people all over the world, including those in currently dominant nations.
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This content will become publicly available on December 11, 2025
Catalyzing sustainable development: insights from the international workshop on STI policies and innovation systems in Central America
This article examines the landscape of Science, Technology, and Innovation policies in Central America, focusing on Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. These nations face significant challenges in leveraging STI for sustainable development, including financial constraints and limited resources. Additionally, Central America struggles with systemic issues such as corruption, violence, and high levels of emigration, further complicating efforts to advance STI. A workshop organized by Georgetown University's Science Technology and International Affairs program brought together scholars to discuss STI policies, resulting in key recommendations. The article highlights critical challenges, including over-reliance on state funding, stagnant researcher numbers, and the pressing need for research diversification. It emphasizes the importance of youth engagement, leadership, and resilience in shaping effective STI policies. Recommendations include investing in science education, establishing governmental scientific advisory bodies, promoting research diversity, and addressing climate change through STI strategies. The findings provide valuable insights for scholars, policymakers, and international organizations working with less developed nations globally.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1945332
- PAR ID:
- 10578005
- Publisher / Repository:
- Frontiers in Research Methods and Analytics
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Frontiers in Research Metrics and Analytics
- Volume:
- 9
- ISSN:
- 2504-0537
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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