Standards, Innovation, and Latecomer Economic Development – A Conceptual Framework

Dieter Ernst

1/07/2015
(Original Publish Date: 2013)

The paper develops a conceptual framework to study how standards are created and used in Asian countries that seek to catch up with the productivity and income levels of the US, the EU and Japan. A stylized model of latecomer standardization tasks, capabilities and strategies is used to demonstrate that the costs of developing and implementing effective standards can be substantial. The paper examines the critical role that patents play for standardization and argues that "strategic patenting" to generate rents from de facto industry standards can stifle latecomer economic development. Policy implications conclude the paper.