Social construction of industrial advantage

This study presents a socially constructed account of industrial advantage as applied empirically to Taiwan's personal computer platform, rigid disk d rive and packaged software industries. Our argument is divided into three p arts. First, stressing the differentiation and conflict of a society sugges ts that national institutional structures are not necessarily co-extensive or convergent. Second, at the national level, institutional structures are not supportive in every industry. Third, countries tend to succeed in indus tries where their economic actors can optimally apply their national instit utions to the global industry. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights re served.