Industrial Policy in the European Community: A Necessary Response to Economic Integration?

As global corporate rivalry intensifies there is rising concern about the state of industries that have to compete with foreign firms, often suspected of being aided by their governments with the aim to dominate world markets. In the European Community, in particular, many industrialists believe that the completion of the single market will make them even more vulnerable to foreign competition. The essays compiled in this book re-examine the arguments for industrial policy. They go beyond the sterile and doctrinaire debate on whether the government should intervene in the economy. Rather, they ask what kind of industrial policy should national governments and the European Community pursue in the light of the increasing openness of their economies, expanding global corporate alliances and faster technological obsolescence.

These essays have a distinct policy focus. They review the latest theoretical developments in order to identify the relevant policy parameters and draw conclusions on what should be the aim and instruments of industrial policy.