The roles of intermediaries in sectoral innovation systems and clusters in China and Thailand: an overview

Abstract

Intermediaries play important roles in the innovation process of firms in innovation systems and clusters. Although several studies exist on the roles of intermediaries, most focus on developed countries. In developing countries, the extent of market and systemic failures is much greater. The role of intermediaries in mitigating these market and systemic failures may differ between developing and developed countries. This special issue aims to address this theoretical shortcoming by examining the roles and evolution of selected intermediaries in China and Thailand. Both countries are rapidly growing Asian economies and feature different types of intermediaries that perform different functions. The key findings of this study are as follows. Intermediaries play different roles at different stages of a firm's innovation processes and help to increase a firm's innovation performance by strengthening their organizational learning. These intermediaries require different capabilities to perform their roles effectively. Different industrial sectors require different types of intermediaries. Finally, the division of labour between public and private intermediaries is a critical policy issue.

Keywords:

• intermediaries
• China
• Thailand
• innovation systems
• clusters