The Politics Of The Human Genome Project. Do Institutions Matter?

Literature on knowledge-based economy emphasizes the complex network of actors and sectors – academy, industry and government – taking part in the construction of new science-led technology sectors. Emphasis on horizontal path fails, however, to account for the distinct impact that governmental and political institutions exercise on creating a framework where all the parties cooperate and compete in high-tech fields. From a new-institutionalist perspective, this paper analyzes the Human Genome Project, and finds out that the US government impacted impressively since from the early beginning up to the operational implementation of the project and favored,by means of a property right regime, the emerging of genomic industry.