What made it possible for Asian countries to have such a turn-around in technology? A body of literature seeks to answer this question by examining cultural aspects (e.g., Asian values), innovation systems (e.g., government agencies and policies), geopolitical situations (e.g., the Cold War context), or charismatic leadership in business and policymaking areas (e.g., the founders of Sony and Samsung). Yet no one has taken a serious look into the nature of the technology gap per se. What is the technology gap? What exactly do we mean by “bridging” this gap? Is there a universal yardstick to measure and rank the national capacity for technological productivity? I think that the term ‘gap’ is a useful yet problematic metaphor, for a gap connotes a space or distance between two objects. Is the technology gap something that can be filled with more stuff or be connected with a bridge?

Youngsoo Bae

Professor of History and currently Dean of the College of Humanities, Seoul National University, is interested in American social history. His books include Labor in Retreat: Class and Community Among Men's Clothing Workers of Chicago, 1871-1929 (SUNY Press 2001) and In Search of an Alternative to American Exceptionalism (2011), which is written in Korean. His current research interests focus on the development of American civilization in the global context.