LIST OF PANELS

In the last three decades, the rise of regulation-oriented approaches to markets diverted the attention of most scholars from themes as State intervention in the economy and industrial policy. Nonetheless, even if not directly addressed, this area of investigation remains crucial in order to understand the political economies of complex policy sectors such as those regarding the network industries, utilities, automotive, aerospace, defence industry and so forth. Moreover, the combination of the financial crisis and the political and coalitional dynamics in the context of Multi Level Governance may have activated a variety of new actors and opportunities in these fields, thus reframing industrial policy itself in different ways. In order to define frames, ideas, actors and instruments of industrial policy, the potential contributors to the panel should address these questions: How have States reacted to institutional and environmental changes in order to keep national players competitive? What have been the most prominent sectors of State intervention and what justifications emerged for them? How have businesses coped with markets’ financialization and how this has altered the relations between corporate actors, stakeholders and regulators? How have business strategies influenced the choice and calibration of regulatory policy tools in specific sectors? Is there any role for Regional and Urban governments in industrial policy?   The panel aims to collect papers from scholars with different social science backgrounds and methodological approaches. A particular attention will be given to papers explicitly addressing the impact of the recent financial crisis on industrial policy.

In the last three decades, the rise of regulation-oriented approaches to markets diverted the attention of most scholars from themes as State intervention in the economy and industrial policy. Nonetheless, even if not directly addressed, this area of investigation remains crucial in order to understand the political economies of complex policy sectors such as those regarding the network industries, utilities, automotive, aerospace, defence industry and so forth. Industrial policy refers to the different patterns of relations among business, policy makers and stakeholders and their impact on short and mid-term strategies to create or re-create a competitive advantage in these sectors. The unprecedented internationalization and globalisation of the markets, that involved the production and provision of public services and of other complex industrial products formerly bounded to national arenas, makes industrial policy a subject that deserves particular attention. At the same time, the financial crisis and the sovereign debt crisis could be considered as windows of opportunity and institutional constraints for a renewed intervention of the public in the economy in a context where territorial politics and Multi Level Governance surely play a role in defining arenas and interests. Thus, both problem definitions and goals of industrial policy may have varied in the different countries, well beyond national varieties of capitalism. The panel aims to discuss the return of industrial issues in the political agenda as a policy issue, by focusing on ideas, problem definitions, frames, instruments and actors in different sectors and in different countries. The panel welcomes papers from scholars with different social science backgrounds and methodological approaches. A particular attention will be given to papers explicitly addressing the impact of the recent financial crisis on industrial policy.