Template-type: ReDif-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Triulzi G. 
Author-workplace-name: UNU-MERIT
Title: Technology life cycle and specialization patterns of latecomer countries: The case of the semiconductor industry
Abstract:  Catching-up, leapfrogging and falling behind in terms of output and  productivity in high-tech industries crucially depends on firms ability  to keep pace with technological change. In fast changing industries  todays specialization does not guarantee tomorrows success as changes  in the technological trajectories reward and punish firms  specialization patterns. This highlights the importance of studying the  relationship between technology life cycle and specialization patterns  of new and incumbent innovators. From an empirical point of view life  cycles have been extensively analysed at the industry and product level  but not so deeply at the technology one even though plenty of  theoretical contributions exist. We define a methodology to describe  the life cycle stages of the main technological paradigm within an  industry and of the technological areas it is composed of. The  methodology is based on the analysis of the age composition of the  different areas and of the characteristics of their technological  trajectories. We use the classification of the life cycle stages of the  single areas to investigate specialization patterns of new and incumbent  innovators. Our results show that up to the end of the 1990s firms from  Taiwan, Korea and Singapore specialized mainly in areas at the later  stages of their life cycles, whereas US and Japanese firms were  comparatively better in younger areas. Specialization patterns changed  in the beginning of the 2000s, when the Asian Tigers started to become  comparatively stronger in emerging areas.     Keywords Technology Life Cycle, Industry Life Cycle, Product Life  Cycle, Specialization Patterns, Technological Paradigms, Technological  Trajectories, Main Path Analysis, Catching-up, Semiconductors, Citation  networks, Community Detection
Keywords: Development Planning and Policy: General; Management of Technological Innovation and R&D; Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes; Technological Change: Government Policy; 
Classification-JEL: O20; O32; O33; O38; .
Series:  Working Papers
Creation-Date: 2014
Number: 012
File-URL: http://pub.maastrichtuniversity.nl/764df074-3f46-4aad-8a29-dae5238ca941
File-Format: application/pdf
File-Size: 3911131
Handle: RePEc:unm:unumer:2014012