Regionalization of planned S&T parks: the case of Daedeok S&T Park in Daejeon, South Korea

Abstract

This study examines how the Daedeok Science and Technology (S&T) Park, built as a national R&D center, has evolved over time from the perspective of a complex adaptive system. We argue that the Daedeok S&T Park-a planned park exhibiting path-dependent, self-reinforcing trajectories led by the government-has gradually evolved over time, undergoing some tension between nationalizing and regionalizing forces instead of encountering an imminent and radical transformation through the replication of a new model each time. The state's role is highlighted as a creator that ironically leads to the process of the planned park's evolution toward a more cluster-based park by strengthening regional actors' capabilities and changing the structure of governance. The study contributes to the literature on S&T parks by providing an in-depth analysis of an S&T park from an evolutionary perspective, and not from a typical static evaluation, and is based on archival analyses and case studies of ten firms as well as on in-depth interviews with key actors.