Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/326766 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
UNU-MERIT Working Papers No. 2021-007
Publisher: 
United Nations University (UNU), Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT), Maastricht
Abstract: 
Innovation trajectories in global value chains can take highly differentiated pathways. Firms and other organisations operating in a sector in a given country may gain or lose innovative capacity over time compared to their peers in other countries. In this paper we address the question: do stylised trajectories emerge from the analysis of countries' relative innovative capacity and global value chain participation? We draw explorative insights from a cluster analysis of 45 countries on the subsectors of the information and communication technology industry: hardware and software. Our analysis uncovers remarkable differences across sectors and countries. We identify different trajectories and discuss the sub-sectoral specificities which contribute to explaining these differences. The association between the strengthening of innovative capacity and deeper insertion in global value chains applies to only a handful of countries and only in the software subsector. These findings raise questions for future research on innovation in global value chains.
Subjects: 
Global value chains
Innovation capacity
Innovation trajectories
Hardware
Software
ICT
JEL: 
F23
D23
L22
L25
O10
O32
O38
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by-nc-sa Logo
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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