The Historical Evolution of Institutional Logics in the Taiwanese Semiconductor Industry, 1990-2015

• In Event: Organizations, Occupations, and Work Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 28: State, market, civil society

Abstract

This study traces the historical evolution of multiple institutional logics in the Taiwanese semiconductor industry between 1990 and 2015. Drawing on the institutional logics perspective and recent theoretical development that brings logics back to the societal level, I examine how different institutional logics emerge, compete, and become primary sources of legitimacy across historical periods. I also make use of the concept of institutional diversity to understand the extent to which multiple logics are simultaneously available and activated within institutional environment. Empirically, I analyze a large-scale textual dataset of business and economic news articles from three major Taiwanese newspapers, covering industry-wide discourse and all publicly listed semiconductor firms. Using natural language processing techniques, the analysis identifies the relative prominence of key institutional logics over time. The findings provide a systematic account of shifts in dominant and secondary logics and reveal how the degree of institutional diversity changes alongside the Taiwanese semiconductor industry’s transformation from state-led development to global competitiveness.

Author

• Yueh-Cheng Tien, Texas A&M University-College Station