Abstract
Increased state government participation in the formulation and implementation of national science and technology policies has been proposed in a series of recent reports, most notably the State-Federal Technology Partnership Task Force's Final Report These recommendations are based on state experiences with technology development and manufacturing modernization programs, the premise that public sector activities are needed to accelerate the rate of commercial innovation, and a stylized model of the geographic appropriability of basic, applied, and developmental research and development outcomes. These reports overstate the economic impact and programmatic relevance of existing state programs to the federal setting while understating state program contributions to the development and strengthening of regional technology infrastructures. Increased coordination of federal and state government activities is needed to address dysfunctional aspects of federal research award policies and to enlist states as committed participants in joint federal-state programs.