Скачать или смотреть China and Innovation: The Role of Bureaucracy in Development

How does the Chinese state coordinate its massive bureaucratic apparatus to lead global frontier technologies? This debate examines the launch of “A Chinese Bureaucracy for Innovation-Driven Development”, revealing the machinery behind China’s innovation strategy.

In this webinar hosted by the Institute of Economics at Unicamp, professors Alexandre de Freitas Barbosa (Unicamp/Anglia Ruskin University) and Tobias ten Brink (Jacobs University Bremen) present an in-depth analysis of China’s economic transformation. Moving beyond simplistic narratives, the authors explore how the country shifted from a “growth at all costs” model in the 1980s and 1990s to a 21st-century innovation-driven development paradigm.

The presentation details an innovative analytical framework based on bureaucratic coherence—both horizontal and vertical—investigating how central ministries and local governments interact, sometimes cooperatively and sometimes competitively. A key highlight is the comparison between two strategic sectors: Electric Vehicles (EVs), where local fragmentation fostered experimentation and global success, and Semiconductors, where technological complexity requires centralized coordination that China is still working to refine.

The event also features incisive commentary from professors Antonio Carlos Diegues and Célio Hiratuka, who discuss China’s technological catching-up, the disciplining of private capital, and the role of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) in the energy transition.

An essential lecture for understanding the new phase of Chinese industrial policy—dismantling myths about a “monolithic state” and providing analytical tools to interpret global technological competition.

[00:05] Opening and Webinar Introduction (Prof. Roberto Borghi)
[03:06] Introduction to the Book: Chinese Bureaucracy and Innovation
[06:49] The Era of “Growth at All Costs” (1980s–1990s)
[08:28] Analytical Framework: Horizontal and Vertical Bureaucratic Coherence
[18:44] The Innovation-Driven Strategy (2000s–2020s)
[25:07] Case Study: Electric Vehicles (Success) vs. Semiconductors (Ongoing Challenge)
[29:03] Disciplinary Mechanisms and the Role of Exports
[39:42] Critical Commentary: Prof. Antonio Carlos Diegues
[56:32] Authors’ Response: Bureaucratic Adaptation and “Productive Chaos”
[01:12:33] Final Remarks: Prof. Célio Hiratuka and Closing Reflections

#China #Economics #Innovation #Unicamp #Development