The co-evolution of technologies and institutions: a comparison of Taiwanese hard disk drive and liquid crystal display industries

In this paper, we examine the different evolutionary processes and outcomes of the hard disk drive and liquid crystal display industries in Taiwan. To this end, we make two general theoretical claims. First, that an appreciation of the globalization of technology is as important as national institutions in understanding industry development in catch-up economies such as Taiwan. Second, in addressing both industrial survival and failure, that national institutions can have either a positive or a negative impact on sectoral activities. Empirically, we show that, in Taiwan, rigid social institutions conflict with the hard disk drive technology. This conflict, in turn, produces obstacles to Taiwanese firms' search for new markets and skills in hard disk drives. On the other hand, Taiwan's institutional structures provide a source of technical efficiency and market opportunity for the emerging liquid crystal display trajectory. This, in turn, drives Taiwanese industry towards adopting new practices in the manufacture of liquid crystal displays.