Surprise, Surprise
From the PHG Foundation: "a new publication in the journal Cell Stem Cell has claimed that countries with less restrictive regulatory regimes account for a disproportionately high level of scientific publications, supporting concerns cited by many prominent US researchers that without easing of current legislation such as current restrictions on the use of federal funding for stem cell research [the] country will lag behind in this area of medicine. Countries dubbed 'overperforming' in stem cell publications were Singapore, the UK, Israel, China and Australia, whilst 'underperformers' included the US, Japan, France and Switzerland ... The author concludes that the most highly performing countries had generally permissive policy environments for [embryonic stem cell] research, whilst those lagging behind were characterised by 'protracted policy debates and ongoing uncertainty, regardless of their current policy environment'." No great shock there. The more you make it hard to move forward, the less moving forward there will be. This has little to do with degrees of public funding, and everything to do with levels of regulation.