| Abstract: | This paper addresses the question"What drives economic growth from a socio-technical perspective".It discusses the concept of"innovation system",especially at the national level,and its three components:actors and factors,interrelationships and dynamics.Historical examples will be given from eighteenth century England(especially the Watt-Boulton steam engine firm)and the late nineteenth and early twentieth century USA(especially the contribution of Thomas Edison).Lessons are drawn for China,focusing on Harbin Development Zone.A broader involvement of Chinese society and sustainable engineering are suggested to be conditional for further socio-economic growth. |
