Knowledge cluster formation in Peninsular Malaysia: The emergence of an epistemic landscape

Hans-Dieter Evers (), Ramli Nordin and Pamela Nienkemper

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: Knowledge clusters are central places within an epistemic landscape, i.e. in a wider structure of knowledge production and dissemination. They have the organisational capability to drive innovations and create new industries. Examples of such organisations in knowledge clusters are universities and colleges, research institutions, think tanks, government research agencies and knowledge-intensive firms with their respective knowledge workers. The following paper will look at Malaysia and its path towards a Knowledge-based economy. We first describe the development strategy of the Malaysian government which has emphasized cluster formation as one of its prime targets. We then provide evidence of the current state of knowledge cluster formation in Peninsular Malaysia and try to answer the following questions. If the formation of a knowledge cluster (especially in the ICT and multimedia industry) has been the government policy, what has been the result? Has Malaysia developed an epistemic landscape of knowledge clusters? Has the main knowledge cluster really materialised in and around Cyberjaya in the MSC Malaysia? Data collected from websites, directories, government publications and expert interviews have enabled us to construct the epistemic landscape of Peninsular Malaysia. Several knowledge clusters of a high density of knowledge producing institutions and their knowledge workers have been identified and described. The analysis of the knowledge output, measured in terms of scientific publications, patents and trademarks show that existing knowledge clusters have, indeed, been productive as predicted by cluster theory. On the other hand government designed development corridors do not always coincide with the distribution of knowledge assets. The analysis of our data pertaining to Cyberjaya, the MSC Malaysia and the “corridors” needs to be developed further to produce more robust results.

Keywords: Malaysia; Cyberjaya; knowledge and development; knowledge-based economy (KBE); knowledge clusters; knowledge corridors; epistemic landscape; development strategy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C81 D8 D85 H41 L52 O16 R11 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010-10-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cse, nep-knm, nep-net and nep-sea
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (19)

Published in ZEF Working Papers 62 (2010): pp. 1-36

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