The Institutional Foundations of Industrial Innovation in Thailand

• Main Authors: SYU, RUO-HUAI, 許若懷
• Other Authors: WANG, JAMES W.Y.
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2019
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/a6fxfp

碩士 === 國立暨南國際大學 === 東南亞學系 === 107 === Locates in the geographical center of the North Asean, Thai electronic and electrical industry performs outstanding among Asean countries recently. Especially after initiating Thailand 4.0 policy by the state, the digital economy becomes more prospective in Thailand. However, I found some defects inside the state after reviewing its past economic development mode. Therefore, it supposed to inspect and discuss the institution of the industrial innovation in Thailand, could we speculate whether Thailand 4.0 policy could conquer the state’s inherent defects, and tastes the fruit of success eventually. Abide by the new institutionalism, this Thesis will explore the institution of the three industrial innovation, including Thai agriculture, electronic and electrical, and automotive industry, and explore the interaction and the roles played between the Thai state, the science and technology R&D institutes and the universities, and the foreign capital / industry, and expect to realized that which one above all, plays the key role to lead the industrial innovation? In the end, I found some commonalities among these three industries stating below. The Thai state established the Ministry of Science and Technology, National Economic and Social Development Council, National Science and Technology Development Agency, National Innovation Agency, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, Digital Economy Promotion Agency, and the related agencies to create national science, technology and innovation policy, investment privilege policy, human resource forstering plan, and promote innovation and human resource with foreign capital；while the public technology R&D institutes and universities, including: National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Metal and Material Technology Centre, National Nanotechnology Centre, National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre, Chulalongkorn University, Thammasat University, and so on, push the national and industrial innovative development through establishing research centers, conducting R&D plans, and having the Industry-Academy Cooperation or innovative R&D with the foreign capital；while the foreign capital / industries drive the national and industrial innovation and the human resource development through the ways like establishing the private sector’s technology R&D institutes, and collaborating with public technology R&D institutes or local universities. The differences between these three industries are stated below. In the agricultural sector, Thai state plays a highest leading and protective role among the three industry. The foreign capital have to form a joint venture with local agri-businese in order to run the businese. To a certain degree, Thai public R&D institutes and national universities are more contributable to the R&D and innovation than the other two industries. Thai local agri-businese’s R&D and innovative capacity is stronger than the other two industries, and is less dependant on the innovative technology of the foreign capital；In the electronic and electrical sector, Thai state plays a medium leading and protective role among the three industry. Thai government attracts the investment from private sector firms, mostly through the investment privilege policies, and drives industrial innovation and upgrading in that way. In addition, Thai government established the science park, software park, and the related agencies to facilitate innovative and R&D activities. In this sector, Thai state’s innovative capacity ranks second among the three industries, and is more dependant on the foreign capital than the agriculture sector；In the automotive sector, Thai state plays a lowest leading role among the three industries. Thai government attracts the foreign capital through the investment privilege policies, and drives the industrial development and innovative upgrading in that way. The only things that Thai public R&D units and universities can offer are some related assistance and human resource. So its innovative and R&D capacity is the lowest among the three industries, and the highest dependant on the foreign capital. I found that as the different industrial environment and characters in the different industrial sector, the state’s role and the interventional degree change, it affects the innovation of the individual industry greatly. In addition to exploring the roles of the government and industry which Mr. Peter Evans professor suggested, we should include the role of the foreign capital more aggressively. Apart from this, the reports of investment analysis in Taiwan should discuss the association relationship between local firms and productive network in the industries more, and it’s the crucial factor of the successful innovative upgrading in the local industries. These are the key points when they comes to the industrial innovation studies in the Southeast Asia, and they should not be ignored.