All Things Considered

Technology and industrial parks are undoubtedly important policy tools for economic and technological development. The analysis presented in the preceding chapters of parks across a spectrum of emerging countries suggests that whilst they are appropriate and viable instruments in some instances, they are clearly less suitable in others. Our study of projects across Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia suggests that success stories are predominantly found in the places theory predicts they will succeed. These regions largely resemble the environments of industrialised economies, with existing technological capabilities and critical masses of firms and skilled employees that meet the knowledge requirements of both technology and industrial parks. However, outside these areas, the presented evidence tends to show that for the majority of emerging countries, developing successful technology and industrial parks is not only unrealistic, but also wasteful. To be successful, parks need to be employed with consideration for pre-existing local conditions, indigenous capacities, and resources within the territory, and to design and support any policies with the right incentive mechanisms to exploit and strengthen synergies