Chapter 6: Science & Engineering Indicators 93
Overall Trends
The United States has long led the industrialized world in the performance of industrial R& D. Over the past two decades, however, U.S. dominance has been challenged. The U.S. share of total industrial
R& D performed by the OECD countries fell between 1973 and 1990. (See figure 6-15.) Despite this decline, the United States remains the leading performer of industrial R& D by a wide margin, even
surpassing the combined R& D of the 12-nation European Community.
Japan underscored its belief in the economic benefits of investments in R& D by following a high R& D growth path that led to a near doubling of its share of total OECD R& D during the period examined. Germany, the third leading performer of
industrial R& D, also closed the gap between itself and the United States, but only slightly when compared to Japan. Italy and Canada were the only other two countries that showed somewhat higher than average growth in industrial R& D between
1973 and 1990; the United Kingdom and France join the United States in below average growth. (Click here for footnote 21.)
Footnote 21:
International comparisons of total industrial R& D are calculated in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP) dollars and growth rates are based on 1985 constant prices. For more information on PPPs, see
chapter 4.
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