IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/umk/journl/v7y2015i1p80-95.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Seven Unproductive Habits of Thailand’s Ineffective Technology and Innovation Policies : Lessons for other Developing Countries

Author

Listed:
  • Patarapong Intarakumnerd

    (National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS). Japan)

Abstract

Though the Thai economy has recorded impressive growth rates over the past 50 years, the country is now in the ‘middle-income trap’ unable to achieve the status of high-income economy and catch-up with the forerunner countries of Asia in technologically sophisticated industries. At the same time, it is losing out to countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam in labour-intensive and resource-based industries. Passive and slow technological learning behaviour of firms in Thailand are the underlying problems. Apart from deficiencies in technological efforts and the strategic intent to upgrade, several firms have continued to perpetuate ineffective technology and innovation policies. Seven unhealthy habits are outlined here to explain Thailand’s ineffective policies. The analysis offers lessons for other developing countries aiming to avoid getting caught in the middle-income trap.

Suggested Citation

  • Patarapong Intarakumnerd, 2015. "Seven Unproductive Habits of Thailand’s Ineffective Technology and Innovation Policies : Lessons for other Developing Countries," Institutions and Economies (formerly known as International Journal of Institutions and Economies), Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya, vol. 7(1), pages 80-95, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:umk:journl:v:7:y:2015:i:1:p:80-95
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://ijie.um.edu.my/filebank/published_article/7495/IE15April5.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Anabel Marin & Martin Bell, 2006. "Technology spillovers from Foreign Direct Investment (FDI): the active role of MNC subsidiaries in Argentina in the 1990s," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(4), pages 678-697.
    2. Patarapong Intarakumnerd & Nathasit Gerdsri, 2014. "Implications of Technology Management and Policy on the Development of a Sectoral Innovation System: Lessons Learned Through the Evolution of Thai Automotive Sector," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 11(03), pages 1-19.
    3. Doner,Richard F., 2009. "The Politics of Uneven Development," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521736114, October.
    4. Felipe, Jesus, 2012. "Tracking the Middle-Income Trap: What is It, Who is in It, and Why? Part 2," ADB Economics Working Paper Series 307, Asian Development Bank.
    5. Alice H. Amsden & Takashi Hikino, 1993. "Borrowing Technology or Innovating: An Exploration of the Two Paths to Industrial Development," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Ross Thomson (ed.), Learning and Technological Change, chapter 13, pages 243-266, Palgrave Macmillan.
    6. Intarakumnerd, Patarapong & Chairatana, Pun-arj & Tangchitpiboon, Tipawan, 2002. "National innovation system in less successful developing countries: the case of Thailand," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(8-9), pages 1445-1457, December.
    7. Doner,Richard F., 2009. "The Politics of Uneven Development," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521516129, October.
    8. Alice H. Amsden & Wan-wen Chu, 2003. "Beyond Late Development: Taiwan's Upgrading Policies," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262011980, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Keun Lee & Di Qu & Zhuqing Mao, 2021. "Global Value Chains, Industrial Policy, and Industrial Upgrading: Automotive Sectors in Malaysia, Thailand, and China in Comparison with Korea," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(2), pages 275-303, April.
    2. Doner, Richard, 2012. "Success as Trap? Crisis Response And Challenges To Economic Upgrading in Export-Oriented Southeast Asia," Working Papers 45, JICA Research Institute.
    3. Titapa Tanchoun, 2018. "Policy and Foreign Direct Investment : Case Study of Thailand’s Automotive Industry," International Journal of Sciences, Office ijSciences, vol. 7(03), pages 1-7, March.
    4. Amir Lebdioui & Keun Lee & Carlo Pietrobelli, 2021. "Local-foreign technology interface, resource-based development, and industrial policy: how Chile and Malaysia are escaping the middle-income trap," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 46(3), pages 660-685, June.
    5. Moore, Joel D. & Donaldson, John A., 2016. "Human-Scale Economics: Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction in Northeastern Thailand," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 1-15.
    6. Charles Gore, 2017. "Late industrialisation, urbanisation and the middle-income trap: an analytical approach and the case of Vietnam," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 10(1), pages 35-57.
    7. Andy Sumner, 2016. "The world's two new middles Growth, precarity, structural change, and the limitations of the special case," WIDER Working Paper Series 034, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    8. Laurids S. Lauridsen, 2018. "New economic globalization, new industrial policy and late development in the 21st century: A critical analytical review," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 36(3), pages 329-346, May.
    9. Alin Chintraruck, 2013. "Contemporary Water Management Issues in Thailand in Comparative Perspective," Journal of Social and Development Sciences, AMH International, vol. 4(5), pages 218-228.
    10. Luis Alfonso Dau & Elizabeth M Moore & William Newburry, 2020. "The grass is always greener: The impact of home and host country CSR reputation signaling on cross-country investments," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 3(2), pages 154-182, June.
    11. Cristina Froes De Borja Reis & Carlos Aguiar De Medeiro, 2014. "From Export Specialization In Natural Resources To Diversification In Manufacturing: The Development Strategies Of Indonesia, Malaysia And Thailand Since 1980," Anais do XLI Encontro Nacional de Economia [Proceedings of the 41st Brazilian Economics Meeting] 156, ANPEC - Associação Nacional dos Centros de Pós-Graduação em Economia [Brazilian Association of Graduate Programs in Economics].
    12. Stefan Ouma & Lindsay Whitfield, 2012. "The Making and Remaking of Agro-Industries in Africa," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(3), pages 301-307, September.
    13. Ricks, Jacob I. & Doner, Richard F., 2021. "Getting institutions right: Matching institutional capacities to developmental tasks," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    14. Osabutey, Ellis L.C. & Jin, Zhongqi, 2016. "Factors influencing technology and knowledge transfer: Configurational recipes for Sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(11), pages 5390-5395.
    15. Ibrahim Sirkeci & Jeffrey H. Cohen & Dilip Ratha, 2012. "Migration and Remittances during the Global Financial Crisis and Beyond," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 13092.
    16. DANG, Jianwei & KANG, Byeongwoo & DING, Ke, 2016. "Landscape of standard essential patents : The case of East Asian countries," IIR Working Paper 16-12, Institute of Innovation Research, Hitotsubashi University.
    17. Prema-chandra Athukorala, 2014. "Industrialisation through State-MNC Partnership: Lessons from the Malaysia's National Car Project," Departmental Working Papers 2014-06, The Australian National University, Arndt-Corden Department of Economics.
    18. Sen, Kunal & Tyce, Matthew, 2019. "The elusive quest for high income status—Malaysia and Thailand in the post-crisis years," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 117-135.
    19. Patarapong INTERAKUMNERD & Kriengkrai TECHAKANONT, 2015. "Intra-industry Trade, Product Fragment," Working Papers DP-2015-10, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
    20. Antonio Postigo, 2014. "Liberalisation and Protection under Overlapping Free Trade Agreements: Dynamic Interplay between Free Trade Agreements and Investment," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(11), pages 1612-1633, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Innovation; Middle-Income Trap; Policy Learning; Technology; Thailand;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:umk:journl:v:7:y:2015:i:1:p:80-95. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Teoh Wern Jun (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/feaummy.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.