Catching-up in green industries: the role of product architecture
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Date
2024
Publication Type
Journal Article
ETH Bibliography
yes
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Abstract
As latecomers to the industrialization process, developing countries may face barriers to upgrading from the production of mass-produced goods to higher-value technologies. Scholars have suggested that 'windows of opportunity' can temporarily lower entry barriers and provide an opportunity for latecomers to catch up to or even leapfrog incumbents. In this paper, we use the literature on product architecture to build on the concept of windows of opportunity. Specifically, we explore how changes in a technology's use environment can create opportunities for indigenous innovation and upgrading in specific sub-systems or components of complex technologies. Using a comparative qualitative case study focusing on three renewable energy technologies, we develop a typology of catching-up opportunities in green energy industries. Our findings suggest that policymakers should target certain technologies in their industrial strategies based on certain technology characteristics, and should seek opportunities to capitalize on a local niche that creates a need for innovation.
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published
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Journal / series
Volume
14 (1)
Pages / Article No.
135 - 164
Publisher
Routledge
Event
Edition / version
Methods
Software
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Date collected
Date created
Subject
Catching-up; global value chain; product innovation; technology lifecycle; modularity; complex product system
Organisational unit
09550 - Schmidt, Tobias / Schmidt, Tobias