Varieties of Innovation: The Creation of Wind and Solar Industries in China, Germany, and the United States
Abstract
This study develops a framework to understand innovation in high technology industries through a comparative analysis of wind and solar sectors in China, Germany, and the United States. I find that the rise of global production networks has altered the ways in which the range of engineering capabilities required for technological innovation are combined and established in high technology sectors. First, in contrast to prevailing theories of innovation, I show that the fragmentation of production has distributed innovative capabilities across highly specialized firms in global supply chains, including manufacturing firms in developing economies. Skills that were once organized within large firms are now coordinated in global networks in a process I call networked innovation. Second, new options for specialization have mitigated pressures for convergence in the types and skills required to advance to the technological frontier.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2014
- Accession Number
- ADA621956
Entities
People
- Jonas M. Nahm
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology