Stifling bureaucracy and deferential attitudes holding Chinese science back
Cultural change is needed for the nation to become an innovation giant, study claims
Government interference is stifling creativity and burdening researchers with bureaucracy, according to the first comprehensive quantitative analysis of China’s science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) research system. While Chinese higher education has clearly taken huge strides, the authors argue that a major shift in policy is required if the country is to achieve its goal of becoming a world-class innovator by 2050.