TY - JOUR
T1 - The co-evolution of learning mechanisms and technological capabilities: Lessons from energy technologies in emerging economies
T2 - Lessons from energy technologies in emerging economies
AU - Hansen, Ulrich Elmer
AU - Lema, Rasmus
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - Despite a voluminous literature on firm-level technological capability building in developing countries, there is still limited knowledge about the relative importance of different learning mechanisms as firms deepen their technological capabilities. To address this knowledge gap, this paper investigates the sources of learning used by firms in the Malaysian biomass boiler industry and the Chinese wind turbine industry enabling them to advance from production capabilities to innovative capabilities. The paper presents a framework that distinguishes between sources of learning to the firm that are: internal, local and global in nature. The paper finds that the learning mechanisms shifts in a co-evolutionary pattern within and across these categories as firms develop increasingly higher levels of technological capabilities. The main contribution of the paper lies in the development and exploratory empirical application of a framework, which allow more systematic assessments of the relative importance of various types of learning sources as latecomer firms develop higher levels of technological capabilities.
AB - Despite a voluminous literature on firm-level technological capability building in developing countries, there is still limited knowledge about the relative importance of different learning mechanisms as firms deepen their technological capabilities. To address this knowledge gap, this paper investigates the sources of learning used by firms in the Malaysian biomass boiler industry and the Chinese wind turbine industry enabling them to advance from production capabilities to innovative capabilities. The paper presents a framework that distinguishes between sources of learning to the firm that are: internal, local and global in nature. The paper finds that the learning mechanisms shifts in a co-evolutionary pattern within and across these categories as firms develop increasingly higher levels of technological capabilities. The main contribution of the paper lies in the development and exploratory empirical application of a framework, which allow more systematic assessments of the relative importance of various types of learning sources as latecomer firms develop higher levels of technological capabilities.
KW - Learning Mechanisms
KW - Knowledge transfer
KW - Technological capability
KW - Latecomer firms
KW - Catching-up
U2 - 10.1016/j.techfore.2018.12.007
DO - 10.1016/j.techfore.2018.12.007
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0040-1625
VL - 140
SP - 241
EP - 257
JO - Technological Forecasting and Social Change
JF - Technological Forecasting and Social Change
ER -