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原文：IsEuropeBecomingtheMostDynamicKnowledgeEconomyintheWorld?AbstractThearticlediscussestheconditionandperspectiveoftheEuropeanUnionintheknowledgeeconomyandthefeasibilityofthegoalgivenbytheEuropeanCouncilatthesummitsheldinLisbon(March2000)andBarcelona(March2002),thatis,toincreaseEuropeanR&Dexpenditureto3percentofGDPby2010.Thearticlefocusesontwoaspects:comparativeperformancewithitsdirectcounterparts,inparticulartheUSA;andintra-Europeandistributionofresourcesandcapabilities.AsetoftechnologicalindicatorsispresentedtoshowthatEuropeisstillconsistentlybehindwhencomparedtoJapanandtheUS,especiallyinR&Dinvestmentandthegenerationofinnovations.Asmallconvergenceoccursinthediffusionofinformationandcommunicationtechnologies(ICTs),thesectormostdirectlylinkedtotheconceptofthe‘neweconomy’.Inthefieldofknowledgecollaboration,Europetakesopposingpathsinthebusinessandacademicworlds.WithinEurope,thelevelofinvestmentinscientificandtechnologicalactivitiesissodiverseacrosscountriesthatitdoesnotmergeintoasinglecontinentalinnovationsystem.IntroductionAttheLisbonsummitinMarch2000,theEuropeanCouncildeclareditsintentionofmakingtheEuropeanresearcharea(ERA)thegreatestknowledgeeconomyintheworld.AttheBarcelonasummitinMarch2002itwasstatedthatEuropeshouldreacharatioofR&DtoGDPequalto3percentby2010.Howrealisticarethesetargets?And,howisEuropedoinginthetechnologicalracefiveyearsafterthefirstannouncementofthesegoals?TheaimofthisarticleistopresentsomeevidenceonthedynamicsoftechnologicalchangeinEurope,comparedtotheperformanceofitsdirectcompetitors,theUnitedStatesandJapan.Itisoftenarguedthatanewclusterofinnovations,informationandcommunicationtechnologies(ICTs),andassociatedproductivitygrowthisleadingusintoa‘neweconomy’thatwilldeliveranexpansionofemploymentandimprovedstandardsofliving(foranoverview,seeTemple,2002).OnthebasisoftheimpressiveperformanceoftheUSeconomyinthe1990s,ithasoftenbeensuggestedthatwealthynationswillrelyontheirabilitytoadjusttothesetransformations,andthatthosecountriesnotabletoadjustwillbemarginalizedandwilllosethecompetitiverace.TheaccompanyingpredictionindicatesthatEuropewillhaveslowerlong-termeconomicgrowththantheUSbecauseofitsinsufficientadjustmenttotherulesofthe‘neweconomy’(Soete,2001;Daveri,2002).Inotherwords,iftheoldcontinentcontinuestolagbehindtheUSandJapanintechnologicaldynamism,thisouldjeopardizetheachievementofthe‘Europeandream’indomainssuchaswelfare,publiceducationandhealthcare(seeRifkin,2004);hencetheneedtoupgradetheEuropeanknowledgebaseinthemostaggressiveway.Theideathatthereisa‘new’economyiscertainlyfascinating,anditishardlysurprisingthatithasbeensoprominentinthebusinessworld,thepoliticalcommunityandthepress.JohnMaynardKeynesknewverywellthatexpectationsplayafundamentalroleinfosteringthebusinesscycle,andthehopethatsomethingasintriguingasa‘new’economycouldbewithushashelpedsomecorporationstosupporttheirstockmarketprices,somepoliticianstobeelectedorre-elected,andthemediatoincreasetheirsales.Theacademiccommunityisnotimmunefromthesetendencies,althoughitsfunctionshouldbetotakeideasthathavespreadtooquicklywithapinchofsalt,anditisnosurprisethatagoodshareoftheoptimismvanishedwiththestockmarketrecessionthatbeganinSeptember2000.Adoseofscepticismdoesnotimplysharingthebeliefthatthereisnothingnewunderthesun:nowandthensomethingnewdoesoccurineconomicandsociallife.Majorchangeshavetakenplaceinthelastdecadeandsomekeycomponentscanbesingledout,inparticular:1.Theexploitationofknowledgehasbecomemoreandmoresystematic,withanincreasingpropensitybybusinesscompaniestoexploitknowhowinthesearchforprofitandgrowthopportunities2.Thetransferacrossspaceofcommodities,financialresources,expertiseandinformationhasbecomemucheasier;whiletechnicalfeasibilityhasincreasedexponentially,economiccostshavebeendramaticallyreduced3.Thenumberofplayersabletoenterbotholdandnewfieldshasalsoincreased,leadingtoanacceleratedpaceofeconomiccompetition.SectionIpresentsabroadsetofdatadescribingthetechnologicalstatusofEurope,withregardtobothinvestments–bymeansofexpenditureonR&D–andtoperformanceininnovativeactivities–bymeansofothertechnologicalindicators.WecomparetheEU-15andtheEU-25withNorthAmericaandJapan,andwehighlightrecentchanges.ParticularattentionisdevotedtoICTs,sincethissectorismorestrictlylinkedtotheconceptofthe‘neweconomy’,anditrepresentsthemaininfrastructureoftheknowledgesociety.SectionIIanalysesthephenomenonofscientificandtechnologicalcollaborationsinceitisassumed,ontheonehand,thatitrevealsmuchaboutthe‘attractiveness’ofvariousregionsoftheworldand,ontheotherhand,thatitisakeypolicyassetinthedesignofanEUstrategy.Finally,inthelastsection,wediscussthestrategiesEuropeisusingtoachieveamoreprominentroleintheglobalizinglearningeconomy.I.WhatistheNewsabouttheEuropeanTechnologyGap?R&DandPatentsTheconcernaboutanincreasingtechnologicalgapiscertainlynotnew:asearlyasthe1960sweheardabout‘theAmericanchallenge’(Servan-Schreiber,1968),andsimilarconcernswerereiteratedinthe1980sandinthe1990s(see,e.g.,PatelandPavitt,1987;ArchibugiandPianta,1992).Europeisnottheonlyregionconcernedaboutitstechnol