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The Influence of Government-Private Sector Collaboration

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The Influence of Government-Private Sector Collaboration THE INFLUENCE OF GOVERNMENT-PRIVATE SECTOR COLLABORATION ON INNOVATION IN A DEVELOPING KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY: THE CASE OF BAHRAIN THE INFLUENCE OF GOVERNMENT-PRIVATE SECTOR COLLABORATION ON INNOVATION IN A DEVELOPING KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY: THE CASE OF BAHRAIN A Dissertation Presented to The Institute for Knowledge and Innovation Southeast Asia (IKI-SEA) Graduate School of Bangkok University In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in Knowledge Management and Innovation Management Marjan Modara 2019 © 2019 Marjan Modara All Right Reserved This dissertation has been approved by the Institute for Knowledge and Innovation Southeast Asia (IKI-SEA) Graduate School of Bangkok University Title: The influence of Government-Private Sector Collaboration on Innovation in a Developing Knowledge Economy: The Case of Bahrain Author: Marjan Modara Dissertation Committee: Dissertation Advisor (Prof. Dr. Alex Bennet) Committee Chairman (Prof. Dr. (Emeritus) Dr. Nongi.AK Wiratchai) Dissertation Co-Advisor (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vincent Ribiere) Committee Member (Dr. Dongcheol Heo) Che. Representative (Asst. Prof. Dr. Thanawan Sangsuwan) (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vincent Ribiere) Ph.D. KIM Program Director – Managing Director IKI-SEA 08 January 2019 DECLARATION In accordance with the Bangkok University Honor Code, I certify that my submitted work here is my own work, and that I have appropriately acknowledged all external sources that were used in this work. Date: 08 January 2019 Name: Marjan Modara Signature Modara, M. PhD. (Knowledge Management and Innovation Management), January 2019, The Institute for Knowledge and Innovation Southeast Asia (IKI-SEA), Graduate School of Bangkok University, Thailand The influence of government-private sector collaboration on innovation in a developing knowledge economy: The case of Bahrain (369 pp.) Advisors of dissertation: Prof. Alex Bennet, Ph.D., Assoc. Prof. Vincent Ribière, Ph.D. ABSTRACT Knowledge and innovation have become the foremost driving strength of economic and social development worldwide. Globalization and the accelerated dissemination and transfer of new knowledge and innovations have affected all nations and regions, public and private institutions, and the lives and prospects of citizens in those nations. The Kingdom of Bahrain is one of those countries that has lagged behind the pace of the current innovations, and its leaders have realized that in order for Bahrain to remain in the forefront of the global economy, its government has to focus on building strategies and policies that will contribute in developing an innovation ecosystem in the country. Based on the perspectives of 22 participants and three Focus Groups, one each from private, semi-government, and government sectors that influence the economy of Bahrain and the reports and articles published regarding those sectors; (a) government, (b) education, (c) ICT, (d), finance, and (d) industry, the findings showed that the government and the private sector were taking progressive steps in collaboration to influence the innovation processes in the kingdom. While the results demonstrate that most of the participants are of the belief that the private sector should lead the collaboration efforts, the government institutions are the ones who have initiated the lead and are promoting the process. The findings also show that finance is the leading sector in innovation activities, while education and the big industries are still lagging far behind. As government and private institutions need to build their collaborative roles towards building an innovation ecosystem, internal frameworks are required to be devised as innovation strategies in the core of each organization’s business. The researcher has confidence that all stakeholders will recognize the efforts established to date in the works undertaken by the government and the private institutions to build a strong government-private collaborative initiative, and use the findings and recommendations of this study to modernize their activities to support the efforts undertaken to date. It is of vital importance for the private sector to take the role of producer of innovation in the potential forthcoming innovative accomplishments and to take the lead role in collaborative efforts, giving way to the government institutions to focus on drawing effective policies and regulations for these activities. Keywords: Innovation, knowledge economy, collaboration, Bahrain viii ACKNOWLEDGMENT The road for this journey was paved by special individuals who either directly or indirectly assisted me in my pursuit to accomplish this assignment with Dr. Michael Stankosky being the advocate of this PhD. My heartfelt gratitude and appreciation go to my advisor Prof. Dr. Alex Bennet whose constructive guidance, positive support and inspiration were my guiding light. Deepest appreciation also goes to my co-advisor Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vincent Ribière, whose great sense of humor combined with his knowledgeable insights were a big support. Special thanks to my committee members chaired by Prof. Dr. Nonglak Wiratchai and their valuable comments and advice. Exceptional thanks go to my cohort colleagues Toey, Gene, Bick, Keiy, and Pop and all the staff at KIM offices whose hospitality, support, and warm friendship made me feel at home every time I visited Bangkok. Most importantly, this journey would not have been pursuable without the personal encouragement and support of my friends, my mother, and my sister with her loving family. Last, but not least, I would not have been able to survive this phase in my life without the unreserved support and backing of my husband Yahya, the understanding and unlimited inspirational support of my precious daughter Noor and her husband Ali, and my sons Nooruddin and Nawaf. Dad, this is in your loving memory and continuous encouragement to never stop acquiring knowledge and self-empowerment. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................... vi ACKNOWLEDGMENT ....................................................................................................... viii LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................... xii LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................. xiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background........................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Problem Statement ................................................................................................ 5 1.3 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................. 7 1.4 Research Questions ............................................................................................... 8 1.5 Significance of the Study ...................................................................................... 8 1.6 Research Methodology and Framework ............................................................... 9 1.7 Scope of the Study............................................................................................... 11 1.8 Personal Motivation ............................................................................................ 12 1.9 Organization of the Dissertation ......................................................................... 13 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................... 14 2.1 The Role of Knowledge ...................................................................................... 14 2.2 KE Definition and Development ......................................................................... 24 2.3 Knowledge Cities and Smart Cities ..................................................................... 36 x TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW (Continued) 2.4 The Role of Innovation ....................................................................................... 40 2.5 Collaboration ...................................................................................................... 56 2.6 The Kingdom of Bahrain..................................................................................... 65 2.7 Building a Research Model ................................................................................. 73 2.8 SUMMARY ........................................................................................................ 82 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODS ................................................................................... 83 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 83 3.2 Research Strategy ............................................................................................... 83 3.3 Selecting the Case ............................................................................................... 93 3.4 Data Collection ................................................................................................. 104 3.5 Framework for Data Analysis ........................................................................... 117 3.6 Validity & Reliability .......................................................................................
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