Industrial Policy

Steve Coulter is Head of Industrial Strategy and Skills at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, and Visiting Senior Fellow at the European Institute of the London School of Economics.

Everything you always wanted to know about industrial policy but were afraid to ask – all in one place in Steve Coulter’s short book. Written for the novice in universities, the politician and their aides, the seasoned lobbyist, and the journalist. Even old hands in the field will find a lot of interest here. Coulter looks back to the heyday and the demise of industrial policy, clearly sets out ways of thinking about it, what could work, and what may go wrong. But most importantly, he makes you think again about industrial policy, industrial strategy and the political economy underpinning the idea. In this new, post-Covid, post-crisis era, with its renewed interest in the role of government in the economy, this book is a handy guide into the debates, the possibilities and the pitfalls.

• 1. Introduction: industry, economy and industrial policy2. States, markets and growth: the economics of industrial policy3. Implementing industrial policy: the experiences of five countries4. New horizons for industrial policy5. Conclusion