Economic Catch-up and Technological Leapfrogging

'The Korean experience has fascinated scholars around the world as one of the most remarkable stories of ''catch-up'' from very low to high levels of development. This book, by one of the leading Korean experts on industrial policy, argues that catch-up is not about following the paths of frontrunners but rather about finding new path to technologically ''leap-frog''. The application of this fundamental insight into the Korean story will be recognized as a landmark in this debate.' - Jose Antonio Ocampo, Columbia University, US and Formerly United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, and Minister of Finance of Colombia 'This book gives a full picture of the factors that made it possible for South Korea to move from being a poor economy to become close to Japan in terms of income per capita. It shows that earlier debates on the role of respective market and state are misleading and that the key to understand economic catching-up lies in specific technological strategies that were outcomes of an interplay between state policies and firm strategies. It is demonstrated that a key to understand catching-up in South Korea is 'technological leap-frogging' where dominant firms enter into technologies that are both new and in a process of rapid change. The book studies the phenomenon of leap-frogging and catching-up at respectively macro, meso and micro-level. It is thus of great interest for those who are involved in designing national, sectoral and enterprise strategies aiming at economic development and especially when the aim of the strategy is to take the step beyond a middle-income country. The combination of macro-economic analysis with sectoral and enterprise perspectives gives a more adequate understanding of economic dynamics than what traditional textbooks can offer.' - Bengt-Ake Lundvall, Aalborg University, Denmark and Founder of Globelics This book elaborates upon the dynamic changes to Korean firms and the economy from the perspective of catch-up theory. The central premise of the book is that a latecomer's sustained catch-up is not possible by simply following the path of the forerunners but by creating a new path or 'leapfrogging'. In this sense, the idea of catch-up distinguishes itself from traditional views that focus on the role of the market or the state in development. The author provides a comprehensive account of the micro and macro level changes, deals with both firm- and country-level capabilities, and explores the issue of macroeconomic stability to overcome financial crisis. The book demonstrates that at the firm level the focus is on innovation capabilities, diversification, internationalization and job creation. It goes on to examine the rise and upgrading of big businesses, such as Samsung, as well as the global success of SMEs. Comprehensive and illuminating, this is an ideal book for students, academics and researchers interested in the economics of development and technological innovation. It will also be a valuable source book for policy makers in international development agencies, governments and the public sector.