Revisiting the Silicon Island? The Geographically Varied ‘Strategic Coupling’ in the Development of High-technology Parks in Taiwan

Abstract

Yang D. Y.-R., Hsu J.-Y. and Ching C.-H. Revisiting the silicon island? The geographically varied ‘strategic coupling’ in the development of high-technology parks in Taiwan, Regional Studies. High-technology parks have been instrumental for propelling regional development and acclaimed as the panacea for curing regional decline since industrial restructuring after the 1980s in Taiwan. This paper aims to explore the divergent dynamics of different technology park projects in Taiwan as well as their impacts on local development. Inspired by the global production networks (GPNs) perspective, a triangular framework is proposed – the interaction between state intervention, economic competence, and societal forces – to highlight and explain the geographically varied patterns of ‘strategic coupling’ between the global production networks and local institutional embeddedness that shape the divergent patterns of regional development in Taiwan.

Yang D. Y.-R., Hsu J.-Y. et Ching C.-H. L'île d'industries électroniques vue sous un nouveau jour? La diversité géographique de ‘l'accouplement stratégique’ dans le développement des technopôles au Taiwan, Regional Studies. Les technopôles ont été une force motrice quant à l'impulsion donnée à l'aménagement du territoire, acclamées comme la panacée du déclin régional depuis la restructuration industrielle après les années 1980 au Taiwan. Cet article cherche à examiner la dynamique différente de divers projets de construction de technopôles au Taiwan aussi bien que leurs impacts sur le développement local. En s'inspirant des réseaux de production mondiaux, on propose un cadre triangulaire – l'interaction entre l'intervention de l'Etat, la compétence économique et les forces sociales – afin de souligner et expliquer la diversité géographique de la distribution de ‘l'accouplement stratégique’ entre les réseaux de production mondiaux et l'ancrage insitutionnel local qui influent sur la distribution divergente de l'aménagement du territoire au Taiwan.

Réseaux de production mondiaux Accouplement stratégique Etat du développement Communauté technique Aménagement du territoire

Yang D. Y.-R., Hsu J.-Y. und Ching C.-H. Eine neue Sicht von Silicon Island? Die geografisch unterschiedliche ‘strategische Kopplung’ in der Entwicklung von Hochtechnologieparks in Taiwan, Regional Studies. Seit der industriellen Umstrukturierung in Taiwan nach den achtziger Jahren haben Hochtechnologieparks bei der Förderung der Regionalentwicklung eine wesentliche Rolle gespielt und wurden als Allheilmittel zur Abwendung eines regionalen Niedergangs gepriesen. In diesem Beitrag untersuchen wir die divergente Dynamik verschiedener Technologiepark-Projekte in Taiwan sowie ihre Auswirkungen auf die lokale Entwicklung. In Anlehnung an die Perspektive der globalen Produktionsnetze (GPN) schlagen wir zur Darstellung und Erläuterung der geografisch unterschiedlichen Muster einer ‘strategischen Kopplung’ zwischen den globalen Produktionsnetzen und der lokalen institutionellen Einbettung, die die divergenten Muster der Regionalentwicklung in Taiwan prägen, einen dreieckigen Rahmen vor: das Wechselspiel zwischen staatlicher Intervention, wirtschaftlicher Kompetenz und gesellschaftlichen Kräften.

Globale Produktionsnetze Strategische Kopplung Entwicklungsstaat Technische Gemeinschaft Regionalentwicklung

Yang D. Y.-R., Hsu J.-Y. y Ching C.-H. ¿Revisión de Silicon Island? Diferencias geográficas de la ‘conexión estratégica’ en el desarrollo de parques de alta tecnología en Taiwán, Regional Studies. Desde la reestructuración industrial tras la década de los ochenta en Taiwán los parques de alta tecnología han sido fundamentales para impulsar el desarrollo regional y han sido alabados como la panacea para solucionar el declive regional. El objetivo de este artículo es analizar las dinámicas divergentes de los diferentes proyectos de parques tecnológicos en Taiwán así como sus efectos en el desarrollo local. Inspirados por la perspectiva de las redes de producción global, proponemos una estructura triangular –la interacción entre la intervención estatal, la competencia económica y las fuerzas sociales– para resaltar y explicar las diferentes variaciones geográficas de ‘conexión estratégica’ entre las redes de producción global y la integración institucional a nivel local que forman los modelos divergentes del desarrollo regional en Taiwán.

Redes de producción global Conexión estratégica Estado desarrollista Comunidad técnica Desarrollo regional

Keywords:

• Global production networks
• Strategic coupling
• Developmental state
• Technical community
• Regional development

JEL classifications:

• L63
• O18
• R11
• R58

Acknowledgement

The authors sincerely appreciate Neil Coe and three anonymous reviewers for constructive comments on the earlier version of the manuscript. The authors also express their gratitude to Henry Yeung for organizing this special issue. Thanks are also extended to I-jhy Su for his support in empirical data gathering. They also would like to thank the following funding agencies for supporting the research on which this paper is based: the National Science Council (Grant Number 96-2415-H-002-021-MY3), the Program for Globalization Studies (Grant Number 97R0064-15) of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences at NTU, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs (IDB) in Taiwan (Grant Number 9431301003). The authors are responsible for all errors and/or mistakes. For further enquiries, please contact the corresponding author, Jinn-yuh Hsu.

Notes

For a further discussion on the governance context, community, and trust, see Adler (2001) and Bowles and Gintis (2002).

Critics have pointed out a number of flaws in the transnational economic network model which presumes that shared language, culture, and history facilitate the construction of shared identities among ethnic diaspora (Smart and Hsu, 2004). Among others, it tends to assume both the continuation of cultural commonalities and the power of shared identity to facilitate trustworthy business networks which can then operate efficiently with lower transaction costs.

Evans (1995, pp. 77–81) defines four patterns of state involvement in terms of ‘roles’. The ‘midwife state’ means that instead of substituting itself for private producers, the state tries to assist new entrepreneurial groups to take on more challenging endeavours.

As well noted by Saxenian (2006), the overseas Indians have a software business connection with their motherland, despite being less entrepreneurial than their Taiwanese counterparts.

Source: Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry, statistic data on the Association's website (available at: http://www.tami.org/st/week2_2006.htm) (accessed on 19 February 2008).

MIRL was founded in 1969 by the Metal Industrial Research Institute. It was subordinated to the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) in 1973, and changed to its current name in 1983.