Investigating windows of opportunity for technological learning in complex product systems in latecomer countries: Iran’s gas turbine industry

During last decades the subject of complex product systems (CoPS) in latecomer countries has been remarkably considered by many scholars. However, investigation of technological learning and catching up in these industries from windows of opportunity perspective has been overlooked. Even, those studies that employed windows of opportunity perspective to explain phenomena like catch-up cycles, didn’t distinguish between complex product systems and mass produced consuming goods. So, this paper intends to investigate windows of opportunity in Iran’s gas turbine industry, through applying qualitative approach and case study strategy as a complex product system. Moreover, this paper aim at shedding light on similarities and differences of these two categories of industry through comparing Iran’s gas turbine industry with five selected industries. Our findings show that the sequence of windows of opportunity in Iran’s gas turbine is as follow: domestic market window, policy window, technological learning instead of technology window and global market window. Some parts of our findings can be explained by considering specific technological and market regimes of complex product systems industries.