Latest Innovation Statistics Reflect Poorly - But Possibly Falsely - On Australasia

There are a number of measures of a country's "innovativeness". When each of government R&D spend, number of academic publications, GNP, number of successful spin-off companies, etc. are reduced to a "per capita" basis, one can begin to get a feel for where the "innovation hotspots" are across the globe.

Another measure that has assumed increased standing in recent times is the number of patents per capita any one country produces. Specifically, the number of United States patents per capita per country ("USPPCPC") is now regarded as a persuasive indicator of a country's innovative activity.

Of course, the USPPCPC is not the "be all and end all" of innovation statistics. Much Australasian-based "innovation" is for the purposes of the local market only - thereby making United States patents largely irrelevant. On the other hand, "invention" - arguably a higher form of innovation, is generally more amenable to the international stage. The point being that the