ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the conceptual framework used in the five country case studies. It begins with a brief review of earlier debates on the role of technology in economic development (section I), followed by an examination of two key aspects of the innovation process – learning and knowledge accumulation, which emphasizes the importance of continuous interaction among a variety of economic actors (section II). The third section introduces our own concept of technological capabilities and the indicators that are used in our case studies of successful East Asian exporting companies. It broadens traditional approaches to include 'strategic marketing' and 'linkage' capabilities consonant with the learning and innovation approach adopted here and stresses the importance of a conscious effort to accumulate increasingly sophisticated 'minor change' capabilities for export success.
