Tiger Technology: The Creation of a Semiconductor Industry in East Asia(Cambridge Asia-Pacific Studies)

This book grows out of a five-year collaborative research project undertaken by the authors in East Asia. They have worked with firms and institutions in Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, to inquire into the micro-processes of firm-level organizational learning that underpin technology leverage in an industry such as semiconductors. The processes investigated are not specific to microchips, but can be seen working in one knowledge-intensive sector after another. Mathews and Cho argue that indeed these are the processes that will shape industrial evolution in the twenty-first century, not just in East Asia but in the developed world as well. Tiger Technology concludes with an important observation - that wealth can be generated just as much through management of technology diffusion as through conventional concerns with innovation, provided the institutions of leverage are carefully constructed.

Table of Contents:
List of figures; List of tables; Preface; Abbreviations; Introduction; Part I. The 'Real' East Asian Miracle: 1. Tiger chips: the rise of East Asia in the global semiconductor industry; 2. Technology leverage as latecomer strategy; Part II. National Institutional Pathways: 3. The Tangbun boom and the chaebol: how Korea did it; 4. A cat can look at a king: how Taiwan did it; 5. Jack and the beanstalk: how Singapore and Malaysia are doing it; Part III. The Technology Leverage Strategy: 6. East Asian semiconductor industries: national strategies and sustainability; 7. Limits to technology leverage strategies; 8. National systems of economic learning: lessons from East Asia; Appendix I. Exchange rates: 1975–97; Appendix II. Chronology; Glossary; Bibliography; Index.

Review :
'The rise of the microelectronic industry in Korea, Taiwan and Singapore has played a significant role on their upsurges as economic powers in the world landscape. This book provides a comprehensive account and enlightening insights of these developments. It has succinctly delineated the importance of national strategy, innovation and human resources and will, undoubtedly, be a valuable reference for technologists, economists, and business executives alike.' Otto Lin, Vice President R&D, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and formerly President, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Taiwan 'This book is the most comprehensive account to date of the processes of technological adoption and diffusion that have underpinned much of East Asian growth and development. It will become an immediate point of reference for all specialists in the region and for those concerned with technological dynamics more generally.' Chalmers Johnson, Japan Policy Research Institute, Cardiff, California 'I found myself almost unable to put the manuscript down ... and have gained a lot from the work. I will certainly use and refer to it in my future research on industrial policy, East Asia, competitiveness and technology.' Sanjaya Lall, Green College, University of Oxford 'This book represents a major contribution to the literature on the sources of international competitiveness and to comparative politics ... its combination of theoretical innovation and thick empirical description will be of interest to all readers.' Jeffrey Hart, Department of Political Science, Indiana University, Bloomington 'An illuminating study.' Financial Times