Science and technology policies, competitiveness, and economic development : a case study of Taiwan

The economic growth in Taiwan for the last few decades has been credited as stellar performance. However, what accounts for the growth? Institutions, political regime, geographical locations, or legal origins? This thesis attempts to explain the economic growth in terms of science and technology (S&T) based on the neoclassical and new growth theories, and comes at a finding that S&T development is significant along with the economic growth. In the process, the author also finds that the government is the major player in Taiwan's S&T development. Based on these findings, the author concludes that from Taiwan's lessons, the S&T is a direction and an area for those developing countries that strive to gain economic growth to make their endeavors on. And, for those latecomer countries, state-led S&T development will be a sufficient condition for economic development, for the government is the major role that is most likely to initiate the development through appropriate policy implementation and is most likely to provide a momentum to the stagnating economic deadlock.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2003

Author dc:creator

• Chang, Su-Hsin, 1973-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Alice H. Amsden.

• Urban Studies and Planning.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/30020

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/30020