Evaluating Park Performance

Abstract

In light of the evidence of their broad effectiveness within developed countries, it is legitimate to question the contribution and feasibility of technology and industrial park policies in emerging economies. To do so however, requires setting out some criteria to evaluate the successes and failures of both types of parks in emerging contexts. Many parks are designed with specific criteria in mind—and no typical profile for a technology or industrial park exists—which makes the assessment of the performance and contribution of parks on a broader scale more challenging. Building from the theoretical and empirical discussions, this chapter outlines and describes the three key areas of assessment used in this book: (a) the role of stakeholders and management teams: (b) the transfer of knowledge and competencies from research to industry; and (c) the performance of firms, entrepreneurship, and regional development.