the.world.is.flat-第67章
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university system is the best；〃 said Bill Gates。 〃We fund our universities to do a
lot of research and that is an amazing thing。 High…IQ people come here； and we allow
them to innovate and turn ＇their innovations＇ into products。 We reward risk taking。
Our university system is competitive and experimental。 They can try out different
approaches。 There are one hundred universities making contributions to robotics。 And
each one is saying that the other is doing it all wrong； or my piece actually fits
together with theirs。 It is a chaotic system； but it is a great engine of innovation
in the world； and with federal tax money； with some philanthropy on top of that； ＇it
will continue to flourish＇ 。 。 。 We will really haVe to screw things up for our absolute
wealth not to increase。 If we are smart； we can increase it faster by embracing this
stuff。〃
The Web browser； magnetic resonance imaging （MRI）； superfast computers； global
position technology； space exploration devices； and fiber optics are just a few of
the many inventions that got started through basic university research projects。 The
BankBoston Economics Department did a study titled 〃MIT： The Impact of Innovation。〃
Among its conclusions was that MIT graduates have founded 4；000 companies； creating
at least 1。1 million jobs worldwide and generating sales of 232 billion。
What makes America unique is not that it built MIT； or that its grads are generating
economic growth and innovation； but that every state in the country has universities
trying to do the same。 〃America has 4；000 colleges and universities；〃 said Allan E。
Goodman； president ofthe Institute of International Education。 〃The rest of the world
combined has 7；768 institutions of higher education。 In the state of California alone；
there are about 130 colleges and universities。 There are only 14 countries in the
world that have more than that number。〃
Take a state you normally wouldn't think of in this regard： Oklahoma。 It has its own
Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology （OCAST）； which； on its
Web site； describes its mission as follows： 〃In order to compete effectively in the
new economy； Oklahoma
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must continue to develop a well…educated population； a collaborative； focused
university research and technology base； and a nurturing environment for cutting…edge
businesses； from the smallest start…up to the largest international headquarters。 。 。
＇OCAST promotes＇ University…Business technology centers； which may span several
schools and businesses； resulting in new businesses being spawned； new products being
manufactured； and new manufacturing technologies employed。〃 No wonder that in 2003；
American universities reaped 1。3 billion from patents； according to the Association
of University Technology Managers。
Coupled with America's unique innovation…generating machines…universities； public
and private research labs； and retailers…we have the best…regulated and most
efficient capital markets in the world for taking new ideas and turning them into
products and services。 Dick Foster； director of McKinsey & Co。 and the author of two
books on innovation； remarked to me； 〃We have an 'industrial policy' in the U。S。 …it
is called the stock exchange； whether it is the NYSE or the Nasdaq。〃 That is where
risk capital is collected and assigned to emerging ideas or growing companies； Foster
said； and no capital market in the world does that better and more efficiently than
the American one。
What makes capital provision work so well here is the security and regulation of our
capital markets； where minority shareholders are protected。 Lord knows； there are
scams； excesses； and corruption in our capital markets。 That always happens when a
lot of money is at stake。 What distinguishes our capital markets is not that Enrons
don't happen in America…they sure do。 It is that when they happen； they usually get
exposed； either by the Securities and Exchange Commission or by the business press；
and get corrected。 What makes America unique is not Enron but Eliot Spitzer； the
attorney general of New York State； who has doggedly sought to clean up the securities
industry and corporate boardrooms。 This sort of capital market has proved very； very
difficult to duplicate outside of New York； London； Frankfurt； and Tokyo。 Said Foster；
〃China and India and other Asian countries will not be successful at innovation until
they have successful capital markets； and they will not have successful capital
markets until they have rule of law which protects
minority interests under conditions of risk 。 。 。 We in the U。S。 are the lucky
beneficiaries of centuries of economic experimentation； and we are the experiment
that has worked。〃
While these are the core secrets of America's sauce； there are others that need to
be preserved and nurtured。 Sometimes you have to talk to outsiders to appreciate them；
such as Indian…born Vivek Paul of Wipro。 〃I would add three to your list；〃 he said
to me。 〃One is the sheer openness of American society。〃 We Americans often forget
what an incredibly open；
say…anything…do…anything…start…anyming…go…bankrupt…and…start…anything…ag ain
society the United States is。 There is no place like it in the world； and our openness
is a huge asset and attraction to foreigners； many of whom come from countries where
the sky is not the limit。
Another； said Paul； is the 〃quality of American intellectual property protection；〃
which further enhances and encourages people to come up with new ideas。 In a flat
world； there is a great incentive to develop a new product or process； because it
can achieve global scale in a flash。 But if you are the person who comes up with that
new idea； you want your intellectual property protected。 〃No country respects and
protects intellectual property better than America；〃 said Paul； and as a result； a
lot of innovators want to come here to work and lodge their intellectual property。
The United States also has among the most flexible labor laws in the world。 The easier
it is to fire someone in a dying industry； the easier it is to hire someone in a rising
industry that no one knew would exist five years earlier。 This is a great asset；
especially when you compare the situation in the United States to inflexible； rigidly
regulated labor markets like Germany's； full of government restrictions on hiring
and firing。 Flexibility to quickly deploy labor and capital where the greatest
opportunity exists； and the ability to quickly redeploy it if the earlier deployment
is no longer profitable； is essential in a flattening world。
Still another secret to America's sauce is the fact that it has the world's largest
domestic consumer market； with the most first adopters； in the world； which means
that if you are introducing a new product； technology； or service； you have to have
a presence in America。 All this means a steady flow of jobs for Americans。
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There is also the little…discussed American attribute of political stability。 Yes；
China has had a good run for the past twenty…five years； and it may make the transition
from communism to a more pluralistic system without the wheels coming off。 But it
may not。 Who would want all his or her eggs in that basket？
Finally； the United States has become one of the great meeting points in the world；
a place where lots of different people bond and learn to trust one another。 An Indian
student who is educated at the University of Oklahoma and then gets his first job
with a software firm in Oklahoma City forges bonds of trust and understanding that
are really important for future collaboration； even if he winds up returning to India。
Nothing illustrates this point better than Yale University's outsourcing of research
to China。 Yale president Richard C。 Levin explained to me that Yale has two big
research operations running in China today； one at Peking University in Beijing and
the other at Fudan University in Shanghai。 〃Most of these institutional
collaborations arise not from top…down directives of university administrators； but
rather from long…standin
