Sectoral innovation patterns and the rise of new competitors: The case of civil aerospace in Asia

This paper examines the internationalization of the civil aerospace industry, and particularly the rise of the industry in the Asia-Pacific region. The argument developed is that aerospace has been treated uncritically as yet another "high technology" sector, and susceptible to the same public policy effects as other high technology industries like IT. The paper argues, by contrast, that the aerospace sector has particular economic and political characteristics, which suggest that European and American firms enjoy considerable, and possibly persistent advantages over new competitors.