Scientific Infrastructure and Catching-Up Process: Notes about a Relationship Illustrated by Science and Technology Statistics

The beginning of the catching-up process has a precondition: a certain level of internal scientific development. This paper's hypothesis suggests that, given the scarce resources for scientific activities, these countries might concentrate their scientific development in key disciplines, specially those that are sources for their industrial development. This paper surveys the literature and presents data about the role of science during the catching-up process. The literature's findings and conjectures are evaluated in the light of patent and scientific publication statistics.Este artigo discute a contribuição da infra-estrutura científica para processos de catching-up. A hipótese do artigo sugere que os países que realizam processos de catching-up devem simultaneamente ampliar a sua infra-estrutura científica e concentrar seu desenvolvimento científico em disciplinas chaves, especialmente naquelas que são fontes de desenvolvimento industrial. O artigo resenha a literatura e apresenta dados sobre o papel da ciência durante o processo de catching-up, tomando como referência os casos da Coréia e Taiwan