Science, technology and society in East Asia: Frameworks for the challenges of the next century

Science and technology development is increasingly driven by the requirements of a globalising world economy. Information and communication technologies both support this globalisation process, and provide opportunities to participate in it. However, the process of development is not uniform. Within nation states and within regions there is considerable inequity in the scale and pace of development. Successful science and technology policies require an understanding of location within a global production network and of local capabilities. This paper explores the prospects for such policies in the context of North East Asia.