资本主义多样性与美欧减排技术创新差异

Varieties of Capitalism and Differences of Technological Innovation on Carbon Emission Reduction between the US and the EU

研发投入和技术创新是低碳发展的关键,但技术从来不会自行发生作用,技术必须嵌入更大的政治、经济和社会框架中。美欧经济体分别属于自由市场经济和协调市场经济,美欧技术创新差异主要体现在创新类型、政府角色和行业减排规制上。美国在激进创新上独具优势,欧盟更强于渐进创新。美国政府历来重视基础性研究,其竞争优势主要在信息技术和制药领域,而非工业部门。美国多年来在减排上无所作为,与其自由市场经济制度密切相关。工业技术创新是减排的重要杠杆,欧盟依托政府—市场协作模式,逐步确立了在节能减排领域的优势地位。

Both R & D investment and technological innovation are critical to low carbon development, however,technology will never work on its own but must be embedded in a larger political, economic and social framework. The US and European economies belong to the liberal market economy and the coordinated market economy respectively. The differences of technological innovation between the US and the EU are mainly reflected in the types of innovation, government role and the regulation for emission reduction. The United States has its unique advantages in radical innovation while the EU takes the lead in incremental innovation. The US government constantly pays attention to the basic research, and its competitive advantage lies mainly in the field of information technology and pharmaceuticals rather than industrial sectors.That the US has been inactive in emissions reduction in recent years is closely related to its liberal marketeconomic system. The innovation of industrial technology being an important lever of emission reduction,the EU has gradually established its dominant position in the field of energy saving and emission reduction through the government-market coordination.