Internationalization, Production Networks and National System of Innovation

Abstract

This paper aims to study the capacity of the National Systems of Innovation to affect the innovative performance of firms in internationalized production activities of a developing economy. The research adopted a production networks perspective on Innovation Systems and the empirical work involved a survey to firms from the automotive productive network in Argentina. The importance of domestic and external sources of knowledge to the innovative performance of these firms was evaluated through the use of multivariate analysis and data clustering techniques. The main findings of the study are that: i) the innovative performance of argentinian auto parts firms is positively related to certain complementation between internal and external sources of knowledge; and that ii) the importance of the national innovation system is essential for them, even if those firms belongs to internationalized production networks that operates in a developing country.Internationalization; National System of Innovation; Production Networks; Automotive Production Network; Argentina