The renewal of the debate on industrial policy: limitations and suggestion for a normative typology based on the dialogue between neo-Schumpeterians and Developmentalists

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to propose a typology of industrial policy based on the dialogue between neo-Schumpeterian and developmentalist frameworks that incorporates in its normative guidelines the transformations in the techno-productive paradigm in recent decades and their consequent impacts on the competitive, innovative and accumulation dynamics of industrial activities. The article proposes a theoretical discussion with normative implications based on the analysis of the literature on the transformations in the nature of two objects: the changes in the techno-productive paradigm from the 2000s to the efforts towards the promotion of Industry 4.0. As a result, an attempt is made to theoretically justify the design of industrial policies that shift from overly general normative guidelines towards the ones based on the simultaneous understanding of the combination of three specificities of activities supported: (i) levels of capabilities of agents—technological, productive and organizational, (ii) the analysis of the potential degree of effectiveness of industrial policies and (iii) the degree of transversality of the promoted activities.