ABSTRACT
In the previous chapters we have seen that industries vary greatly in the character of their technology, the way in which the interactions between private firms are organized, and in the economic and political roles of states in the industry. This chapter will focus more directly on the differences across industries, providing quantitative indicators as well as considering more explicitly the reasons for this variation. I start by comparing the industries’ technological profiles and patterns of maturation. In the second part I look at variations in the character of the international organizations that are involved in these industries. In the third part of the chapter I compare the role of political conflict and the use of political power across the industries. In this third part I also begin to contrast the explanatory capacity of the types of industry-specific factors upon which this book has focused with an alternative explanation that focuses on the role of hegemonic states. This contrast between industry-level and systems-level explanations will be followed through in Chapter 9.
