Taiwan has assumed that technology is the driving force behind its much-vaunted "knowledge-based economy" (
For example, in the initial stage of the Industrial Revolution in the 17th century, intellectual property rights were a significant breakthrough in the role knowledge played. An invention was no longer solely controlled by political or business interests as it had gained a status protected by law.
Both the US and Japan enjoyed economic takeoffs in the late 19th and mid-20th centuries respectively, because of the implementation of intellectual property rights. The two nations' acceptance of these rights not only changed the law, it also changed their respective cultures.
Today's knowledge revolution, based on information technology, can actually be traced back to the US' Great Depression. Before then, the US economy was similar to Taiwan's current economy in that it suffered from government interference in the financial market, the entangled relations between banks and enterprises, and even political corruption. The depression, however, served as a great lesson for the US, forcing it to thoroughly review the fundamental values of its economic system.
For example, what should the relationship between the government and business be? Upon reflection it became clear that information may become an invisible hand in the financial market. Many financial reform bills, therefore, all focused on bringing information to light.
Also important, the US decision makers thought of another issue: Is economic development supposed to create a better society or is it just for making money? This question later led to the establishment of the social welfare system. Such economic and social reforms transformed the country. The US began using information as its material, scientific thinking as its tool, and fairness and justice as its values.
The depression had even further influences. After the 1930s, the family structure started to change and the social system began transforming as the traditional authoritative culture -- centered around wealthy white males -- started to decline. The civil rights movement, women's rights movement and even consumers' movements took hold.
Because of these movements, the sources of traditional authority were all replaced -- mostly with knowledge. Although the change was slow, it was a crucial one. More fortunately, the birth of computers in the 1950s allowed information technology to be applied to the construction of a new social system. From this perspective, social and cultural reforms are the real driving forces of a knowledge-based society. Information technology, on the other hand, is supplementary to a variety of systemic reforms.
In today's knowledge-based society, not only the usage of technology is different from the past, its fundamental values have also changed. For example, in Kenneth Hey and Peter Moore's book, The Caterpillar Doesn't Know, the two authors point out that the US has gradually transformed from "communities of wealth" to "communities of meaning."
Facing Taiwan's current economic predicament, talk of a knowledge-based economy has been predominant while technology has widely been seen as a "cure-all." But has Taiwanese culture evolved to such a degree that it is ready to pursue a knowledge-based economy? The US has experienced a number of social crises that have consequently changed its authoritative culture. Can Taiwan, after only a few decades of democratic reforms, rid itself of the thousands of years of autocratic and dictatorial culture? In today's Taiwan, everyone who has a vested interest wants to compel others to accept their ideas, which means that the traditional perspectives of authority remain firm. Why bother to talk about a knowledge-based economy under such circumstances?
RSS