Deepening or delinking? Innovative capacity and global value chain participation in the IT industry. (30th August 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lema, Rasmus; Pietrobelli, Carlo; Rabellotti, Roberta; Vezzani, Antonio
• Is Part Of: Industrial and corporate change. Volume 30:Number 4(2021)
• Page Start: 1065
• Page End: 1083
• Publication Date: 2021-08-30
• Subjects: Organizational change -- Periodicals; Organizational effectiveness -- Periodicals; Industrial management -- Periodicals; 658.4062
• DOI: 10.1093/icc/dtab035
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0960-6491

Abstract

Abstract: Innovation trajectories in global value chains (GVCs) can take differentiated pathways. In this article, we address the question: do stylized trajectories emerge from the analysis of countries' relative innovative capacity (IC) and GVC participation? We draw explorative insights from a cluster analysis of 45 countries on the two subsectors of the information technology industry: hardware and software. Our analysis uncovers remarkable differences between hardware and software and across countries. We identify different trajectories and discuss the sectoral specificities that contribute explaining their existence. The association between the strengthening of IC and a deeper insertion in GVCs applies only to a handful of countries and only in the software subsector. The specificity of this association raises questions for future research on innovation trajectories in GVCs.