In When Small States Make Big Leaps, Darius Ornston, an assistant professor of international affairs in the School of Public and International Affairs, reveals how Denmark, Finland and Ireland—-historically low-tech countries—managed to assume leading positions in new industries such as biotechnology, software and telecommunications equipment.
In each case, countries used institutions that are commonly perceived to delay restructuring to accelerate the redistribution of resources to emerging enterprises and industries.
The strategies facilitated movement into new high-tech industries but with distinctive political and economic consequences. In explaining how previously slow-moving states entered dynamic new industries, Ornston identifies a broader range of strategies by which countries can respond to disruptive challenges such as economic internationalization, rapid technological innovation and the shift to services.
