What enables technological self-reliance? Theoretical discussion and comparative case study

Abstract

In Chapter 5, Sun (2020) provides a conceptual discussion to answer the question, “What enables technological self-reliance for indigenous innovation?†, as well as empirical studies of three complex product industries in China. This empirical analysis of telecom equipment, concrete machinery and diesel engines helps explore what technological self-reliance means at the sectoral level. The chapter argues that the evolution of embedded demand and the accumulation of national technological capability in a sector can help determine the relative reliance upon imported technology and indigenous innovation. Thus, this chapter proposes that technological self-reliance, as an independent concept which depicts the middle-stage between technological dependence and innovating, is a useful tool to understand the logic and paths of capability building in catching-up countries such as China.