ABSTRACT
Introduction As Joseph S. Nye (2002: 9) has so cogently noted, a country’s “soft” power (or its capacity “to get others to want what it wants” through means other than military force) depends on its culture, especially its educational system and the strength of its science and technology sectors. Science and technology are particularly important because economic growth in knowledge-based societies arguably hinges on technological innovation (Freeman 2005). While the mechanisms by which technology spurs growth are debated (Barro and Sala-i-Martin 2003; Lindert 2004), inventions such as wrought iron, steam power, the generation of electricity, and the internal combustion engine have historically generated major economic expansions (Easterlin 1996; Galbraith 1995, 1997). The invention of the computer and the Internet may ultimately contribute as much as these others to the economy, although not every analyst agrees on this point (Madrick 2002). Regardless, national science and technology policies generally seek to protect and sustain high-technology innovation to foster international economic competitiveness. Such relative economic strength reflects aspects of culture that contribute to the development and maintenance of soft power.
