China*s Innovation Challenge Overcoming the Middle-Income Trap

The miracle growth of the Chinese economy has decreased from a compound annual growth rate of 10% to less than 7% in 2015. The two engines of growth - export on a scale never before witnessed and massive infrastructure investments - are reaching the point of diminishing returns. This poses the central question which is explored in this book - can China escape the middle-income trap? Assuming current political arrangements remain unchanged and that it does not or cannot adopt Western sociopolitical economic regimes, can China develop an indigenous growth model centered on innovation? This compilation gathers leading Chinese and other international scholars to consider the daunting challenges and complexities of building an innovation-driven Chinese growth model. Providing several comprehensive perspectives, it examines key areas such as the institutional system, technology, sociocultural forces and national policy. The analyses and their conclusions range from strong optimism to deep pessimism about China's future.

Arie Y. Lewin is Professor Emeritus of Strategy and International Business at Duke University, North Carolina and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Management and Organization Review. His research focuses on organization adaption and renewal, co-evolution, and the globalization of innovation.

Martin Kenney is a Professor at the University of California, Davis and Senior Project Director at the Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy. His research focuses upon entrepreneurship, venture capital, innovation and university-industry relations in Silicon Valley and East Asia.

Johann Peter Murmann is Professor of Strategic Management at the Australian Graduate School of Management, part of the University of New South Wales Business School. He is a senior editor of the journal Management and Organization Review. His research focuses on the role of innovation in the development of industries.