 Foreign direct investments as an engine of technological change in Malaysia: the role of social interactionsManja Jonas International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development, 2010, vol. 3, issue 2, 164-186 Abstract: Many developing countries – including Malaysia – try to leverage FDI for local technological change. But our understanding of inter-firm-level processes of technological learning from FDI is still rather limited. This study attempts to shed some light on the role for social interaction in this issue. Based on firm-level survey data, the paper investigates the extent of social relations underpinning backward linkages and analyses the role of social interaction in technological learning from FDI. From a dynamic social learning perspective of technological change FDIs and local firms are conceptualised as members of knowledge networks, comprising FDIs, local buyers/suppliers and other knowledge sources together with their relations. Results suggest that social interactions play a significant role in encouraging technology transfers between foreign firms and their local suppliers, thus contributing to inter-firm knowledge flows. Keywords: technological change; technological learning; technology transfer; social interaction; foreign direct investment; FDI; Malaysia; Japan; USA; Germany; electronics industry; social learning; knowledge networks; knowledge flows. (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ids:ijtlid:v:3:y:2010:i:2:p:164-186 Access Statistics for this article More articles in International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development from Inderscience Enterprises Ltd |
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