Non shakeout patterns of industry evolution. The case of turboprop engine industry

A careful case study of the entire history of the turboprop engine industry (1948-1997) is offered as an example of non shakeout pattern. The persistence of high concentration is not associated to the exit of smaller manufacturers, but instead a stable coexistence of generalist and specialist strategies emerges, in sharp contrast to the pattern observed in the otherwise similar jet engine industry. This paper operationalises the relevant variables of a more general theory of industry life cycle by taking into account the lack of creation of significant increasing returns in R&D, manufacturing or marketing, which is commonly found in industries which produce systemic products.