Abstract

This research focuses on examining the mobilization of Public Procurement for Innovation (PPI) in South Korea as a case study in technology innovation. By using the lens of policy mobility and qualitative research methodologies, it emphasizes the circulation of PPI is an outcome of an assemblage of multiple actors who are responsible for the introduction of PPI. The Public Procurement Service in South Korea has actively sought to understand and adopt the concept of PPI from developed countries. This initiative has been localized under the umbrella of ‘innovative technology and product.’ Throughout the mobilization, a cadre of technocrats, the Innovation Procurement Competence Center plays a pivotal role, and particularly encourages Small and Medium Enterprises to bolster their export capabilities, resulting in a reciprocal circulation of policies and programs from South Korea to foreign countries as well as within intra-urban area. Consequently, the above findings, revealing the nuanced evolution of policy mobility in local contexts, hold practical significance as they provide valuable insights and lessons for urban studies.