Mobility of Engineers and International Knowledge Transfer: Technological Catching-Up in the Korean and Taiwanese Semiconductor Industries

Does the mobility of engineers facilitate international knowledge spillovers and help newly industrializing countries catch up with developed countries? This study attempts to answer this question by tracing knowledge flows through the international mobility of semiconductor engineers. The paper uses patent data to track knowledge flows through the mobility of engineers. The study finds that engineers who moved from the US to Korea or Taiwan built their subsequent innovations based upon the knowledge of their previous firms in the US. Case studies based on field interviews further suggest that these mobile engineers have played significant roles in the technological catching-up of Korea and Taiwan.