Please do not think I am cynical: I am just trying to analyze things objectively. I imagine humans are inventing more at the times of crisis and/or competition. Wars, pandemic, climate change, recessions... People happily consuming "bread and circuses" - not that much. It's a matter of priorities. Of course, the whole society should also be positive towards science and technology (unlike some diehard medieval theocracies).

I do like social democracy and am enjoying it's benefits. The question is: Does it make people too weak? Why move ones ass when it's relatively good already? In the US one can fall quite low in living standards, but then the rewards for entrepreneurship are much greater. So those capable head there causing brain drain elsewhere, and also for better conditions to do what they want.

Science and technology are necessarily global so it may be indeed silly to talk about specific regions, but times of lone inventors are probably gone. Things became too complex. Motivation for new inventions can also matter. Are those for fun? To become very rich? For survival?

So you can see USA enjoyed conditions for innovations for longer period of time [please, do not comment that States are now falling into medieval theocracy Medium tries to make us believe].

Crises make people (and larger entities) think and give energy for implementation.