Public Service and Technology Policy Research in China

This article offers an empirical study of contemporary public science and technology (S&T) policy research in mainland China by analyzing 1,410 articles published in four core academic journals during the three year period from 2004 to 2006. Based on the data, we found that the main subjects of the research were the national innovation system, S&T policy tools, and S&T industrial policy, and that the predominant research method was qualitative. The S&T research received significant financial support. We also argue that there is an enduring group of scholars devoting themselves to S&T research and they attach much importance to literature review. Although there were various problems with the research, this is a transitional phenomenon which should improve in the future.