There is a rapidly expanding literature on the economics of the so called 'new technologies' - especially on those using microelectronic systems. Dr. Jacobsson's book deals with microelectronics-based innovation in machine tools: with the production and use of computer numerically controlled machine tools in the world economy and especially in the Third World. Jacobsson is mainly interested in the implications which CNC machine tools may be expected to have for users and producers in the Newly Industrialising Countries. He approaches this as a problem in applied economics and the book will have a primary interest for those economists whose concern is with the problems of industrialisation in developing countries. It will be parti cularly valuable to those who are preoccupied with the role of local capital goods manufacture and with the technological preconditions for this kind of production. Jacobsson is able to give detailed and specific arguments on these matters as far as CNC machine tools are concerned. In my view, the book has a considerably wider interest and relevance than its specification may at first sight suggest. Jacobsson's achieve ment is not just that he has provided valuable and convincing quantita tive arguments about policy in setting up production of CNC machine tools. In addition, he has set a new and much needed methodological standard for analysis of the impacts of 'new technologies' on the international economy.

Published in 1984, this book reviews British industrial policy towards information technology within the context of the international trading system. It argues that the incoherence of British policy stems from the clash between its core liberal ideology and its centralised political system and that unless Britiain's traditional liberal ideology in trade policy was abandoned within this market, Britiain was set to become a mere technological dependency of America. It discusses how the British government needed to develop effective non-tariff barriers in the form of 'industrial policy' to minimise the political and economic costs of technological dependence.

Industrial policy has long been regarded as a strategy to encourage sector-, industry-, or economy-wide development by the state. It has been central to competitiveness, catching up, and structural change in both advanced and developing countries. It has also been one of the most contested perspectives, reflecting ideologically inflected debates and shifts in prevailing ideas. There has lately been a renewed interest in industrial policy in academic circles and international policy dialogues, prompted by the weak outcomes of policies pursued by many developing countries under the direction of the Washington Consensus (and its descendants), the slow economic recovery of many advanced economies after the 2008 global financial crisis, and mounting anxieties about the national consequences of globalization. The Oxford Handbook of Industrial Policy presents a comprehensive review of and a novel approach to the conceptual and theoretical foundations of industrial policy. The Handbook also presents analytical perspectives on how industrial policy connects to broader issues of development strategy, macro-economic policies, infrastructure development, human capital, and political economy. By combining historical and theoretical perspectives, and integrating conceptual issues with empirical evidence drawn from advanced, emerging, and developing countries, The Handbook offers valuable lessons and policy insights to policymakers, practitioners and researchers on developing productive transformation, technological capabilities, and international competitiveness. It addresses pressing issues including climate change, the gendered dimensions of industrial policy, global governance, and technical change. Written by leading international thinkers on the subject, the volume pulls together different perspectives and schools of thought from neo-classical to structuralist development economists to discuss and highlight the adaptation of industrial policy in an ever-changing socio-economic and political landscape.

China has become the biggest exporter of electronic products in the world. Government policy intervention has contributed significantly to the rapid expansion of the electronics industry. The present paper examines the evolutionary development of industrial policies related to the electronics industry in China and the impacts of such policies on the shaping of the industry. In particular, the relationship between foreign funded enterprises and domestic firms are examined in detail. The future trend of the industry is also discussed in the paper, and the policy focus of the Chinese Government is predicted.

Examines how African policy makers might develop better coordination between the public and private sectors to identify the constraints to faster structural transformation, and to design, implement, and monitor policies to remove them.

The Political Economy of Industrial Policy in East Asia sheds new light on the reasons why Taiwan and South Korea have achieved such remarkable progress in the semiconductor industry. This book focuses on the institutional arrangements in Taiwan and South Korea across time and shows how the state and society have interacted to accomplish the successful development of the semiconductor industry. It argues persuasively that three institutional factors are critical in understanding the development processes of the semiconductor industry in these two countries: first, the different degrees of business concentration, second, the different state structures and their influence on policy making networks, and finally, the different international political economies in which the two countries are located. The author challenges the developmental statist argument which has traditionally offered the most popular explanation of East Asian development, and includes recent industrial data and statistics demonstrating the current status of this rapidly changing industry. This book will be welcomed by graduate students and academics in the fields of comparative political economy, international political economy and industrial policy. It will also appeal to those interested in industrial development strategies, East Asian development and comparative politics.

Highlights what national governments should know to properly conduct their industrial policies under the multilateral trading system.