The Reconfiguration of a Latecomer Innovation System

Biotechnology demands a new enabling role of the state in Korea. The pressure for system reconfiguration stems from the blurring of the boundaries between science and industry. A shift from a funding-oriented policy to regulatory governance is required. A framework is developed to describe latecomer system change as a co-evolutionary process.

The book examines the evolving governance of pharmaceutical biotechnology in South Korea in order to derive conclusions about the dynamics of a latecomer system transition. Based on an analysis of innovation activities in the biomedical sector, which is complemented by expert interviews, the research contends that the Korean post-developmental state should be geared towards coordinating the interplay of technologies, modes of organization and institutions. An integrative framework is developed to describe system change as a co-evolutionary process in which the national and sectoral dimensions intersect. The case shows that the shaping of an environment in which innovation systems can develop sectoral transformative capacity is a central aspect of latecomer innovation governance.

Autorentext

Dirk Johann, MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science and Dr. phil. from the University of Freiburg. He has been Marie Curie research fellow at the University of Sussex (SPRU) and worked as expert for innovation policy development for international and national organizations, most recently as a researcher at the Austrian Institute of Technology.

Inhalt
Contents: Understanding the sectoral dynamics and socio-technical constituency of national systems of innovation Conceptualising the reconfiguration of a latecomer innovation system Governance dimensions of technological learning and innovation in biotechnology Evolution and reform of Korea's national system of innovation Evolving structures and dynamics of Korea's innovation system for biotechnology.