Abstract
Development and growth are products of the interplay and interaction
among heterogeneous actors operating in specific institutional settings.
There is a much alluded-to, but under-investigated, link between
economic growth, innovation systems, and institutions. There is widespread
agreement among most economists on the positive reinforcing link
between innovation and growth. However, the importance of institutions
as catalysts in this link has not been adequately examined. The concept
of innovation systems has the potential to fill this gap. But these
studies have not conducted in-depth institutional analyses or focussed
on institutional transformation processes, thereby failing to link
growth theory to the substantive institutional tradition in economics.
In this paper we draw attention to the main shortcomings of orthodox
and heterodox growth theories, some of which have been addressed
by the more descriptive literature on innovation systems. Critical
overviews of the literatures on growth and innovation systems are
used as a foundation to propose a new perspective on the role of
institutions and a framework for conducting institutional analysis
using a multi-dimensional typology of institutions. The framework
is then applied to cases of Taiwan and South Korea to highlight the
instrumental role played by institutions in facilitating and curtailing
economic development and growth.
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