Publication: Building a Competitive City through Innovation and Global Knowledge: The Case of Sino-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park
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2016-02
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2016-03-08
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Special economic zones can be an effective instrument to promote industrialization if implemented properly in the right context. In China, starting in the 1980s, special economic zones were used as a testing ground for the country's transition from a planned to a market economy, and they are a prime example of China's pragmatic and experimental approach to reforms. One of the great special economic zone success stories in China is the Suzhou Industrial Park, a modern industrial township developed in the early 1990s through a Sino-Singapore partnership. It is successful not just in the economic sense, but also in terms of urban and social development in an eco-friendly way. One key lesson is that in a weak market environment, a facilitating and reform-oriented host government, coupled with foreign expertise and knowledge as well as a "whole value chain" approach can go a long way in developing urban-industry well-integrated special economic zones. This paper is intended to examine the success factors and key lessons of the Sino-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park, which can be useful for other developing countries.
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“Zeng, Doug Zhihua. 2016. Building a Competitive City through Innovation and Global Knowledge: The Case of Sino-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park. Policy Research Working Paper;No. 7570. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/23888 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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