Post-industrialism and Silicon Valley as models of industrial governance in Australian public policy

Abstract

Since the 1970s, the Australian government has seen the information and communication technology industry as a viable industry for promotion and investment. This paper will argue that two recent important policy initiatives that concern the information and communication technology industry are influenced by the idea of an impending post-industrial economy and observations of the business environment of Silicon Valley. It will firstly discuss a policy initiative towards investment funding through the creation of 'incubators' that is informed by early-age liability theories of organisation. It will secondly discuss the policy initiative towards replicating the business environment of Silicon Valley through the creation of technology parks that is informed by the paradigm of locational economics. It will be shown that despite the positive contributions to the economy that policy interventions in the information and communication technology industry has had, the replication of the business environment of Silicon Valley in Australia should be attempted with caution. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.