Cluster building by policy design: a sociotechnical constituency study of information communication technology (ICT) industries in Scotland and Hong Kong
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Date
2009Author
Wong, Alexandra Wai Wah
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Abstract
This thesis investigates whether and how public policies can help build industrial clusters. The
research applies a case study method based on 60 interviews to the emerging information
communication technology (ICT) clusters in Scotland and Hong Kong. The analysis uses
Molina’s sociotechnical constituency (STC) framework and its associated ‘diamond of
alignment’, which help focus on two interrelated dimensions: 1) the complex technical and
social aspects of the design, implementation and evolution of the Scottish and Hong Kong ICT
clusters and 2) the difficulties of developing a cluster in the context of major diversity of
organisational interests and patterns of interaction. This research revealed that the cluster
building effort in the two regions has been fraught with difficulties due to misalignment between
the perceptions and pursuits of policy makers and the interests of industry members. This thesis
concludes that cluster building is an evolutionary process of sociotechnical alignment which can
be facilitated by feedback and learning. It also suggests that for successful cluster building to
take place, policy makers should focus on stimulating the processes of cluster formation,
including the building up of the technological capabilities of the industrial actors, while
facilitating the integration of the major actors’ interests and demands with the policy
programmes. Cluster building involves the development of new ways of thinking as well as the
practice of networking; it necessitates the coherent effort of collective learning and a long-term
commitment to change the existing technological system. A long-term adaptive policy
programme should be pursued to focus on effectively aligning the interests and pursuits of the
different actors in the cluster at various stages.