Microfoundations of technology cluster emergence in emerging economies: Mindsets of natives and non-natives in Johannesburg, South Africa

ABSTRACT

Where technology clusters are concerned, extant research has primarily highlighted those that are situated in developed economies. The literature shows that immigrants – those who have moved to a region from other places – have been instrumental in the technology cluster emergence process. However, the heavy emphasis on developed economies has limited our understanding of technology cluster emergence in emerging economy contexts, and the ways that immigrants – the non-natives in a region – or natives – those born in a region – contribute to this process. This paper explores this issue through comparison of nine microfoundations for technology cluster emergence within regional natives and non-natives in the emerging technology cluster context of Johannesburg, South Africa. The research shows that natives and non-natives exhibit different profiles, with demographic factors accounting for some of the observed differences. Importantly, the research contributes to the field the understanding that natives and non-natives in emerging economies hold different potentials to influence technology cluster emergence and, therefore, may require different policy interventions to promote technology cluster development in emerging economies.

KEYWORDS:

• clusters
• emerging economies
• South Africa
• innovation
• microfoundations

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to Andres Velez-Calle, Marcus Crews and Yuanyuan Li for research assistance on this project. I am also grateful to Per Davidsson and Maryann Feldman for comments on earlier versions of this manuscript. This project was supported by a grant from RAISED at the Rutgers Business School.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Brett Anitra Gilbert

Brett Anitra Gilbert is an Associate Professor and the Kogod Regional Innovation Chair at the Kogod School of Business of American University in Washington, D.C. Her research interests include emerging clean technologies, formations of technology clusters in emerging economies, and regional inequality. She is also an associate editor at the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, and an editorial review board member for several top management journals.