Meanings
alternative European Paradox
- The perceived failure of European countries to translate scientific advances into marketable innovations.
1 more example
"... the research policy paradigm was already well embedded in a competitiveness/innovation oriented understanding and an understanding of the so-called European paradox, that is, the conjecture that EU member states play a leading global role in terms of top-level scientific output, but lag behind in the ability of converting this strength into wealth-generating innovations."
2006, Maurice Kogan, Transforming Higher Education, →ISBN, page 174
Origin
Coined in a European Commission Green Paper in 1995.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
European paradox. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/European%20paradox
“European paradox.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/European%20paradox. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “European paradox,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/European%20paradox.
Source: European paradox on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.