ABSTRACT
This chapter conceives the notion of industrial policy as “all government interventions on production dynamics driven by national societal goals”. It is based on three main policy elements: targets, tools, and goals. In this framework, industrial policies can target manufacturing, but also other sectors, and companies, regions, population subgroups, or other relevant actors and networks. The automotive industry also attracted the attention of the federal government. In 1908, Henry Ford launched the famous Model T. Since then, specialization and mass consumption have radically changed the organization of work, industry, and society in America and around the world. The Great Depression represented another “special moment” for government–industry relations in the United States, allowing substantial intervention into the national industrial system and, more broadly, toward societal goals. Military and political influence over a vast number of nations offered immense economic benefits and extraordinary new opportunities for national industries.
