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PBS News Hour
Can public R&D investment revitalize a lagging economy?
The U.S. government spends about 0.7 percent of GDP on scientific research and development, down from 2 percent in the 1960s. Less investment means fewer chances for breakthroughs like the weapon-seeking robots that saved thousands of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan -- and created a new consumer products category. Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports on an effort to jump-start public R&D.
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