Technology Policy for Industrial Competitiveness—on the Discussion in the OECD Countries

The discussion on industrial and technology policy is conducted at various levels and in different theoretical and empirical contexts. The economic discussion is basically a normative one; the issue here is whether or not the state should (or must) intervene in the free play of forces in the marketplace. The sociological discussion is on the one hand a theoretical one; following the demise of the “control euphoria” of the 1970s, the issue now centers on the state’s governance capacity. On the other hand, the discussion is an empirical one on concrete experiences with different approaches to technology policy, frequently based on comparisons between different countries.