Title: The influence of technological capabilities on the knowledge network component of innovation systems: evidence from advanced materials in Turkey

Authors: Esin Yoruk

Addresses: School of Slavonic and East European Studies – SSEES, University College London – UCL, 16 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, UK

Abstract: This paper is concerned with the dynamics of innovation systems (IS) in emerging economies. It investigates how one core element of an IS – its network of firm-centred knowledge links – changes over time and how that change is influenced by change in the deepening technological capabilities of firms. It contributes to the existing literature by: 1) examining change over a long period of time (1967-2001); 2) implementing quantitative analyses on panel data collected through face-to-face interviews in 19 firms; 3) comparing the trends and relationship in |science-based| and |traditional| segments of the materials industry, while holding common to both many other aspects of context, in particular the main |institutional| elements of the IS. The findings herein call for policies that emphasise the development of engineering and design capabilities in association with R&D support to build up and structure effective and sustainable sectoral IS in emerging economies.

Keywords: technological capabilities; sectoral innovation systems; knowledge networks; advanced materials; time-scales; emerging economies; Turkey; engineering capabilities; design capabilities; R&D support; research and development.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTLID.2011.044141

International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development, 2011 Vol.4 No.4, pp.330 - 362

Published online: 31 Jan 2015 *

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