Reprising the role of the developmental state in cluster development: The biomedical industry in Singapore

Abstract

This paper broadly sketches the initiation of a biomedical industry cluster in Singapore and how it is driven in a knowledge-based economy. Specifically, we reprise the role of the developmental state in spearheading cluster development, and by so doing critique the prevailing view that rejects the involvement of industrial policy and the state beyond that of just a facilitator in cluster development. Drawing from a modest survey and interview sampling supplemented with secondary data we illustrate how the Singapore city-state is not passive but instead plays an active role as a cluster creator in moving towards a knowledge-based economy.