Industrial policy, FDI and employment: still a 'missing a strategy'

David Bailey, Nigel Driffield

Research output: Preprint or Working paperWorking paper

Abstract

This paper contrasts the effects of trade, inward FDI and technological development upon the demand for skilled and unskilled workers in the UK. By focussing on industry level data panel data on smaller firms, the paper also contrasts these effects with those generated by large scale domestic investment. The analysis is placed within the broader context of shifts in British industrial policy, which has seen significant shifts from sectoral to horizontal measures and towards stressing the importance of SMEs, clusters and new technology, all delivered at the regional scale. This, however, is contrasted with continued elements of British and EU regional policy which have emphasised the attraction of inward investment in order to alleviate regional unemployment. The results suggest that such policies are not naturally compatible; that while both trade and FDI benefit skilled workers, they have adverse effects on the demand for unskilled labour in the UK. At the very least this suggests the need for a range of policies to tackle various targets (including in this case unemployment and social inclusion) and the need to integrate these into a coherent industrial strategy at various levels of governance, whether regional and/or national. This has important implications for the form of any ‘new’ industrial policy.
Original languageEnglish
PublisherAston University
Number of pages32
ISBN (Print)1-85449-681-6
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2005

Publication series

NameAston Business School research papers
PublisherAston University
No.RP0522

Bibliographical note

Aston Business School Research Papers are published by the Institute to bring the results of research in progress to a wider audience and to facilitate discussion. They will normally be published in a revised form subsequently and the agreement of the authors should be obtained before referring to its contents in other published works.

Keywords

  • industrial policy
  • regional policy
  • FDI
  • employment

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Industrial policy, FDI and employment: still a 'missing a strategy''. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this