Abstract
Appeals to American techno-nationalism represent a misguided approach based on outdated assumptions about the paths and implications of globalization. In this paper, we challenge the "zero-sum" assumptions implicit in these views of the current global technology system. To be sure, there are areas, such as those related to national defense, where national strength in technology continues to be important, but in most areas a policy of "collaborative advantage" in advancing science and technology (Lynn and Salzman, 2006) is more likely to be beneficial to most Americans than a struggle to outcompete the rest of the world. Seeking collaborative advantage would entail an international division of labor that mobilizes global human resources in seeking solutions to global human problems. It would include proactively participating in international technology value chains, even value chains led by participants from other countries. It would mean, more generally, not triggering wasteful or ultimately self-defeating technology contests with other countries. The aim should be the creation of a strong "global commons" for the equitable creation and diffusion of technology.