EALC2701 - Innovation, Regulations, Technology, and Society: Experience from East Asia

Innovation and creativity are universally recognized as aspects of modern life. From stem cell research to nanotechnology and machine learning, innovation is heralded as a thing of value to be actively fostered, as a key ingredient for the betterment of the human condition, and often as a desirable process for economic growth. While existing innovative activities are often based in the so-called advanced economies, particularly the United States and the European Union, increasingly we see new players on the global scene vying for influence and offering new forms of innovation and upgrading. These new players are often countries from East Asia. What positions do these East Asian countries occupy in the global knowledge economy? How are they navigating a constantly evolving and competitive frontier technology market where ownership of intellectual property rights remains in the hands of a handful of advanced economies? Technological innovation can take a toll, not least in the form of increased level of risks that a society must bear, as well as in environmental degradation, worker strife stemming from a shortage of jobs, gender disparity, and expanding wealth and knowledge gaps (including access to knowledge) between different socioeconomic classes. In this course, we will consider how regional patterns (and national variations) of economic growth and sociocultural changes under way in East Asia have been influenced by the global technological revolution, as well as the infrastructure of power and governance. Particularly, the course exposes students to scholarship on the governance of the global political economy, with a focus on the socio-legal regulation of emerging science and technology. The course will begin with discussing how states strike a balance between innovation and protection through implementing relevant regulatory frameworks. In addition, we will explore what implications emerging technologies have for societies, as well as how these evolving dynamics impact the lived experience of local communities.