Competing in the Global Electronics Industry: A Comparative Study of the Innovation Networks of Singapore and Taiwan

Abstract

The highly competitive electronics industries in Singapore & Taiwan capture 10+% of the world market for electronics products. While recent literature tends to emphasize the commonalities in the development patterns of East Asian economies, it is shown here that the success of Taiwan & Singapore in the global electronics industry actually derives from two quite distinct industry creation strategies, resulting in two quite different patterns of specialization. Each country has developed its own innovation network to facilitate the development of a successful electronics industry.