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Technical Change and Industrial Policy (Institute of British Geographers Special Publications)
Technical Change and Industrial Policy - Institute of British Geographers Special Publications Author:Keith Chapman Understanding why apparently similar regions or countries experience industrial growth or industrial decline is a problem that continues to obsess policy-makers in governments throughout the world. As this volume of new papers from North American and British scholars of several disciplines makes clear neo-classical location theory does not provi... more »de the answer. A common objective of policy-makers is to move away from obsolescence and "sunset" towards what they suppose to be innovation and "sunrise" - to attract those activities which, by virtue of their technological characteristics, are perceived to offer prospects for growth in output and employment. Such an objective may frequently rest upon a kind of technological determinism fostered by life-cycle models applied to products, industries and regions, and may betray a belief in the benefits of "high technology" which is not always justified. This volume explores these and other issues relating to the role of "technology" in the interpretation of industrial growth and decline and its effect upon employment. It is divided into three sections, concerned first with the nature of technological change as a phenomenon, secondly with the role of technology in the restructuring of traditional industries, and thirdly with the implications of technological change for industrial and regional development policies. All the contributors draw heavily on case-study material from regions throughout the world. This book is aimed at economic and industrial geographers, as well as to macro- and micro-economists and to policy makers in the developing and developed economies.« less