Title: The intellectual roots of latecomer industrial development

Authors: John A. Mathews

Addresses: Macquarie Graduate School of Management, Macquarie University, Sydney NSW 2109, Australia

Abstract: I argue that a secure platform for strategising around industrial development can be built on insights from three streams of literature: the latecomer in history (associated with Gerschenkron), and the special advantages that may be derived from recognition of the latecomer effect; latecomer industrial dynamics, and in particular the flying geese patterns of industry transfer from country to country, associated with Akamatsu; and increasing returns, forward and backward linkages and other aspects of disequilibrium dynamics, associated in a development context particularly with Hirschman. These sources place the emphasis where it belongs – on the initiatives taken by the developing country itself utilising strategies that complement disequilibrium industrial dynamics.

Keywords: latecomer development; Gerschenkron; Akamatsu; Hirschman; flying geese industrial dynamics; circular causation; cumulative causation; collective entrepreneurship; industrial development; strategy; globalisation; disequilibrium dynamics; developing countries.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTG.2005.008751

International Journal of Technology and Globalisation, 2005 Vol.1 No.3/4, pp.433 - 450

Published online: 21 Jan 2006 *

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