Title: Emerging models of networked industrial policy: recent trends in automotive policy in the USA and Germany

Authors: Elena Goracinova; Patrick Galvin; David A. Wolfe

Addresses: Innovation Policy Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada ' Innovation Policy Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada ' Innovation Policy Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

Abstract: The adoption of the US-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement and the transition to electric and autonomous vehicles has created uncertainty for automotive companies. In response, the need for government efforts to position traditional automotive regions as a source of high-quality, green vehicles is pressing. The policy mix is changing rapidly as the public sector and firms cope with the challenges associated with new trade confrontations and disruptive technologies. The article captures this evolving policy landscape through a comparative analysis of automotive policy with respect to BEVs in the USA and Germany. It examines how innovation policies help the sector navigate the current technological transition. We find that theories grounded in traditional comparative political science do not provide an adequate framework to explain the observed similarities and differences in policy trajectories in the two countries. The article adopts insights from the networked industrial policy perspective to better understand the repertoire of policy instruments adopted to manage the changing impact of alternative energy technologies in the automotive industry.

Keywords: networked industrial policy; comparative capitalisms; battery electric vehicles; USA; Germany.

DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2022.122096

International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, 2022 Vol.22 No.1, pp.29 - 51

Received: 03 Feb 2021
Accepted: 03 Oct 2021
Published online: 08 Apr 2022 *

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