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1261. The Global Innovation Sweepstakes: A Quest to Win the Future

Author:
Atlantic Council
Publication Date:
06-2018
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Atlantic Council
Abstract:
Please join us on Tuesday, June 26 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. for a tour of the world’s most innovative places and a discussion on what today’s technology trends mean for the future security and prosperity of the United States. During this event, we will launch a new report: The Global Innovation Sweepstakes: A Quest to Win the Future. The Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, in partnership with Qualcomm, embarked on a global tour of technology hubs to determine which ones are at the cutting edges of tech-based innovation—and which are at risk of falling behind. Our researchers visited nearly a dozen countries and spoke with almost two hundred experts. Will China overtake the United States? Can Europe rise to the challenge? Why are small states often the most innovative? This new report seeks to answer these questions—and others raised by the unfolding technological revolution. It also provides policy recommendations for research and development, skills training, technology transfer, diversity, education, and more.
Topic:
International Political Economy, Science and Technology, and International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1262. Do Not Fall for the Hype on U.S.-China Natural Gas Trade

Author:
Melanie Hart, Luke Bassett, and Blaine Johnson
Publication Date:
04-2018
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Center for American Progress - CAP
Abstract:
The Trump administration’s obsession with fossil fuel exports plays into Beijing’s grand strategy to become the next high-tech superpower.
Topic:
Energy Policy, International Trade and Finance, Science and Technology, Natural Resources, Hegemony, Gas, and Rivalry
Political Geography:
China, Asia, North America, and United States of America

1263. How Turkey Can Ensure a Successful Energy Transition

Author:
Deger Saygin, Max Hoffman, and Philipp Godron
Publication Date:
07-2018
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Center for American Progress - CAP
Abstract:
Turkey needs to transition its energy system rapidly in order to reduce its reliance on imports, which account for 3 out of 4 units of Turkey’s total primary energy supply. With a growing population and economy, the country’s imported energy costs have reached alarming levels, driving a significant share of Turkey’s current account deficit. Turkey’s population grew from 70 million only a decade ago to 81 million people in 2017—the equivalent of adding a metropolitan region the size of the Rhine-Ruhr in Germany or Chicago in the United States.1 Alongside this population growth, the economy has seen gross domestic product (GDP) per capita growth averaging 3 percent per year, with growth exceeding 7 percent in 2010 and 2017 and 9 percent in 2011.2 This increasing demand has driven rapid growth of the country’s energy system, including in conventional fossil fuels and renewable energy. Fortunately, Turkey is endowed with significant renewable energy resources, a flexible financial sector, an entrepreneurial business approach, and a large manufacturing and engineering base. Turkey’s auction scheme for tenders—or awarding the rights to undertake renewable energy projects—means that much of the installed renewable energy equipment will also be locally produced, a product of government efforts to position the country for the wider, global energy transition as part of its ambitious plan for the 2023 centenary of the Republic.3
Topic:
Energy Policy, Science and Technology, Renewable Energy, and Transition
Political Geography:
Europe, Turkey, and Asia

1264. Beyond the trade war: Made in China 2025, innovation and the 4.0 industrial revolution

Author:
Tatiana Rosito, Joren Selleslaghs, Margaret Myers, Mariano Laplane, and Yan Li
Publication Date:
05-2018
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI)
Abstract:
At its seventh meeting, CEBRI’s China Analysis Group Meeting promoted insightful discussions on the characteristics of Chinese policymaking in science and technology, with particular emphasis on the formulation, implementation and global implications of the Made in China 2025 Plan. As such, in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, discussions encompassed the global trend towards digitization and informatization in manufacturing, as reflected in Chinese efforts towards upgrading its industry. Ultimately, this would respond to the Chinese goal of advancing to higher stages in global technological value chains and ensuring self-sufficiency in high-tech sectors.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Innovation, Trade, and Industry
Political Geography:
China and Asia

1265. Eco-Innovation: Drivers, Barriers and Effects – A European Perspective

Author:
Sandra Leitner
Publication Date:
12-2018
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW)
Abstract:
This paper determines the key drivers, barriers and effects of eco-innovation, in comparison to innovation in general. It further distinguishes between different types of eco-innovations to better capture their heterogeneous nature. It uses two different data sets: (1) the Community Innovation Survey 2014 (CIS-2014) for a large sample of EU Member States, further split up into three groups in accordance with their eco-innovation performance; (2) the German Mannheim Innovation Panel to address additional drivers the CIS-2014 is unable to capture. Results show that both R&D investments and complementary fixed capital investments are key drivers of eco-innovation, with differences across country groups. Results from the German sample further emphasise that expected future demand, rising costs for energy and other resources and the wish to improve one’s reputation and the need to meet industry standards help spur eco-innovation, while public policy is only of limited importance. In contrast, international market orientation turns out to be a barrier for eco-innovation. By and large, eco‑innovations also have a productivity-enhancing effect which is however lower as compared to innovations in general.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Public Policy, Demand, Energy, and Eco-Innovation
Political Geography:
Europe

1266. WHO WILL MANAGE THE TRADE-OFFS BETWEEN RIGHTS AND SECURITY ON THE INTERNET?

Author:
Deborah Avant
Publication Date:
10-2018
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
Political Violence @ A Glance
Abstract:
Despite much focus on China and Russia, the Internet’s future is being shaped by a more varied set of relationships. In a recent example, Microsoft employees issued an open letter asking the company not to bid on the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract to build cloud services for the Department of Defense. The employees complain that the JEDI contract may violate Microsoft values: to “empower everyone on the planet to do more”. It is unclear just what Microsoft would be doing (cloud services can refer to everything from infrastructure to platforms to software—and the security to support each), but employees worry that their efforts could be used to harm others.
Topic:
Security, Human Rights, Science and Technology, Infrastructure, Internet, and Civil Liberties
Political Geography:
Russia, China, and United States of America

1267. Why talk about carbon removal?

Author:
David R. Morrow, Holly J. Buck, Wil C. G. Burns, Simon Nicholson, and Carolyn Turkaly
Publication Date:
10-2018
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy, American University
Abstract:
Talk of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is spilling out of scientific circles and into the realm of climate politics and policy. Civil society has a vital role to play in ensuring that this conversation is responsive to social needs and develops in constructive and appropriate ways. This report provides a starting point to help environmental and social justice non-governmental organizations (NGOs) engage in the growing conversation about carbon removal. Section 1 of the report argues that the world needs to grapple seriously with large-scale carbon removal and long-term storage, exploring both the rationale for considering carbon removal and the associated risks and downsides. Section 2 provides a brief introduction to the range of options for large-scale carbon removal. Section 3 surveys the existing conversation in different domains, from academia to philanthropy to civil society. Section 4 considers the relationship between carbon removal and mitigation. Section 5 sketches a research agenda for assessing various approaches to carbon removal.
Topic:
Civil Society, Climate Change, Science and Technology, NGOs, and Carbon Emissions
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1268. The Work Ahead: Machines, Skills, and U.S. Leadership in the Twenty-First Century

Author:
Edward Alden and Laura Taylor-Kale
Publication Date:
04-2018
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Council on Foreign Relations
Abstract:
The challenge facing the United States today is to rebuild the links among work, opportunity, and economic security for all Americans in the face of accelerating technological change.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Labor Issues, Employment, Innovation, Emerging Technology, and Machine Learning
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

1269. The Mandate to Innovate

Author:
Christina Monaco
Publication Date:
11-2018
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
PRISM
Institution:
Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), National Defense University
Abstract:
Delivering decision advantage to a policymaker or situational awareness to a warfighter is becoming a more competitive challenge. As geospatial and AAA technologies increase in capability and availability—both within the United States and allied GEOINT enterprise as well as for our adversaries—the complexity of that mission increases. Empowering rapid experimentation and innovation, adapting new business models (particularly those that have proven successful to the business world), and applying the breadth of the means availability to us to acquire new capabilities are ways for us to continuously replenish the nation's GEOINT advantage.
Topic:
Intelligence, Science and Technology, Military Strategy, and Innovation
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

1270. The Machine Beneath: Implications of Artificial Intelligence in Strategic Decisionmaking

Author:
Matthew Price, Stephen Walker, and Will Wiley
Publication Date:
11-2018
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
PRISM
Institution:
Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), National Defense University
Abstract:
Despite the risks posed by the adaptation of AI to military affairs, the United States must seek to be at the forefront of this technology. It is unthinkable that America will cede this new territory to our competitors, such as China and Russia, who are aggressively pursuing it. Even if the United States decided to opt out of this arms race, it would have little effect, as the technologies described in this paper are inherently dual use, and the private sector around the globe will pursue them with abandon. Ethicists, weapon engineers, and military leaders are already hard at work on the challenges associated with designing and deploying battlefield lethal autonomous weapons systems. With this article, the authors hope to begin a new conversation, highlighting and differentiating the risks posed by employing strategic AI in military decisionmaking, particularly as the pace of warfare accelerates.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Military Strategy, Military Affairs, Innovation, and Artificial Intelligence
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America