Technological Infrastructure Policy

Technological Infrastructure Policy provides a systematic treatment of technological infrastructure (TI) and Technological Infrastructure Policy (TIP) which are emerging fields of interest both for academic economists and for policy makers in both advanced and developing economies. The specific topics covered include: the role of TI in economic growth and development; the nature and definition of TI; TI-components; the relationships between TI and markets; salient features of TIP.
Technological Infrastructure Policy reflects the distinction made between basic and advanced TI. Basic TI involves the collective absorption of foreign technology for subsequent diffusion to domestic firms. Several chapters explicitly deal with this process with an emphasis on the supply of advisory services to small and medium enterprises. Advanced TI involves precompetitive, cooperation research and development in cutting edge technologies undertaken by consortia of firms. Several examples of advanced TIP are given. The novel integration of various conceptual and practical aspects of TI and TIP is the strong point of this book.

An Introduction to Technological Infrastructure and Technological Infrastructure Policy.- I. Underpinnings.- Technological Infrastructure Policy (TIP): Creating Capabilities and Building Markets.- Infratechnologies and Economic Growth.- Information Distribution and the Growth of Economically Valuable Knowledge: A Rationale for Technological Infrastructure Policies.- Technological Infrastructure in Information Technology Industries.- Government Technology Procurement as an Instrument of Technology Policy.- II. TIP for Leading-Edge Industries.- The Design of High-Technology Consortia: Lessons from SEMATECH.- Biotechnology and Advanced Technological Infrastructure Policies: The Example of the UK's Protein Engineering Club.- Generic R&D Collaboration Between Firms: The Israeli Experience.- III. TIP for SMEs in Established Industries.- Transfer of Technology to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs): Conceptual Changes and Lessons from the Two Banks of the Rhine.- Modernizing Small Manufacturers in the United States and Japan: Public Technological Infrastructures and Strategies.- Modernizing Manufacturing: Consultancy, Advisory, and Extension Services to Improve Small Business Performance.