Includes bibliographical references and index.

1: Introduction -- The puzzle -- Is this book for you? -- Key ideas in evolutionary theory -- Evolution of technology -- Evolution of institutions -- A sketch of coevolution -- The economics and science of dye-making -- The road ahead -- 2: Country-level performance differences and their institutional foundations -- Intriguing questions about industrial leadership -- Performance under the microscope -- Background information on the three countries -- National research and training systems -- Supporting organizations and the state -- The academic-industrial knowledge network -- Social organization of production at the shop floor -- Intellectual property right regimes -- 3: Three times two case studies of individual firms -- Purpose of the matched comparisons -- The cast of firms -- The world of pioneers (1857-65) -- Science unbound (1866-85) -- The age of Bayer (1886-1914) -- Did managerial action make a difference? -- 4: The coevolution of national industries and institutions -- Overview of collective strategies -- Forging a national science capability -- Lobbying for a supportive patent system -- Influencing tariff laws -- 5: Toward an institutional theory of competitive advantage -- Theoretical gaps -- Evolutionary interpretation of the key findings -- A theory of coevolution -- Implications for industrial organization studies -- Opportunities for future research on industrial development -- A technological history of dyes -- Short description of databases on firms and plants.