Complexity and path dependence in biotechnology innovation systems.

In commercial applications of biotechnology, there is no international convergence. On many critical dimensions, the United States is pulling ahead vis-à-vis most other developed or emerging countries, in spite of the efforts made by the potential catching-up nations. The article argues that the explanation lies in the institutional fabric that fosters commercial biotechnology: this institutional structure is too complex and costly, it exists mainly in the United States, and the followers either do not understand it, or are trapped with more inefficient institutions. The paper builds on biotechnology in order to theorize about institutions and their evolution in sectoral innovation systems. It also applies concepts and models from complex system theory. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]