The transfer characteristics of the world technological activities center countries: The perspective of patent big data analysis

世界技术活动中心国家转移特征研究—基于专利大数据分析视角

Abstract

Based on the world scientific center transfer theory, this study quantitatively explores the transfer characteristics of the world technological activities center countries in a long time series from the perspective of nation. The patent big data of 50 major countries/regions from 1970 to 2020 is selected as the analysis object, and on the basis of sorting out and deconstructing six analytical dimensions that reveal different aspects of the pattern evolution of world technological activities, characteristic parameters are introduced and a decision matrix is constructed to achieve the quantitative definition of the world technological activities center countries. From six analytical dimensions, the transfer characteristics of the world technological activities center countries are quantified and summarized. The results of the study show that the world technological activities center countries exhibit the following transfer characteristics during 1970-2020: (1) There exists a phenomenon of center countries transfer in the world technological activities. Since 1970, the phenomenon of center countries transfer is prevalent, no matter the traditional technology output activities, or various kinds of transnational technology exchange activities under the background of globalization, no matter the main center countries or the sub-center countries. (2) The transfer speed of the world technological activities center countries is gradually accelerating. Compared with the ultra-long technology prosperity period of over a century in ancient and the period from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century, the transfer speed of modern technology activities center countries has been significantly accelerated, and the technology prosperity period has been reduced to a time scale of several decades, and it may be further accelerated in the future. (3) The central strength of the world technological activities center countries is generally low and shows a trend of further decline. This indicates that the dominant position maintained by the current center countries in the technological activities is gradually diminishing, the concentration degree in the technological activities is gradually decreasing, which is a specific manifestation of multipolarity in the world order in the technological activities field. (4) For the present and the foreseeable future, the competition for the world technological activities center countries may mainly be fiercely contested among the United States, Japan and China. The United States is still the country that occupies the largest number and longest time of various technological activities centers, but its dominant position is diminishing. Japan is the country that occupies the second longest duration of various technological activities centers, maintaining a dominant position for a long time in a certain analytical perspective. China has recently succeeded in joining the ranks of the center countries with a significant increase in the number of technology outputs, and has enormous potential for future development.