In cars we trust. Automobile manufacturing as part of an integrative European industrial policy.

Description

The object of this presentation is to discuss a radical policy measure that could be part of an integrative industrial policy for Europe: car manufacturing. The rationale for such a policy is delivered by discussing the “unsustainable paradigm” (Wells & Orsato 2005, 18) of the current automotive industry by means of three categories: growth, markets and technology. The same categories are used to compare the status quo with an alternative approach to car manufacturing, “Micro Factory Retailing” (Nieuwenhuis & Wells 2003). In order to implement such an industry based on this new production paradigm, the European Union may act as an “entrepreneurial state” (Mazzucato 2013)—in the most literal sense of word.Though radical and quite utopian in its character, this policy could not only help to tackle the crises and challenges Europe is facing today, but it could also contribute to a redefinition of the European idea, a new vision, which Europe urgently needs.

Period	13 Oct 2017
Event title	Young Economists Conference 2017 (‘European integration at a crossroads’)
Event type	Conference
Location	AustriaShow on map