Moving Towards An American Industrial Technology Policy

Abstract

While the term “industrial policy” has come to be associated by many Americans with too much government involvement in private markets, the United States is nevertheless moving rapidly towards a more active and explicit industrial technology policy. The American policy is certainly different from those of Japan and Western Europe; but the recent emphasis on civilian technology and targeted manufacturing sectors, along with the continuing efforts of state‐level technology programs, add up to a much more coherent industrial technology policy than in the past. Although this trend comes at the end of the Cold War and is related to defense conversion efforts, it is part of a larger trend tied to increasing pressure in the area of international competitiveness of American industry. A more pragmatic, less ideological approach emerged, first in numerous state capitals, and is emerging gradually in Washington, DC.