Johannes Van Biesebroeck (KU Leuven)
Hongsong Zhang (University of Hong Kong)
Industrial policies — which we define as government interventions in specific industries that can have various objectives, such as stimulating technological innovation or promoting competitiveness — have always been popular in developing countries, but recently also gained widespread acceptance as policy instruments in developed countries. Nevertheless, many questions remain unanswered regarding their impact and optimal design. In particular, they often elicit strategic responses from market participants or stakeholders, which are likely to differ across economic environments. Industrial organization (IO) offers a different perspective, as well as different methodologies and toolboxes compared to international or development economics. IO research has the potential to shed new light on the rationale for, and the impact of various forms of industry policy that can complement existing research.
The IJIO plans to publish a special issue on “Industrial Policy and Industrial Organization”. Its primary objective is to leverage the insights and methodologies from the field of IO to deepen our understanding of the nature and impact of industrial policies. Studies on any country, industry, or policy objective are encouraged. Ultimately, our aim is to increase the contribution of IO research to the evaluation and optimal design of industrial policies in both developing and developed countries.
The special issue encourages submission of any papers from the field of IO that study industrial policies broadly defined. This encompasses a large range of topics, which include but are not limited to:
- Using IO methods to evaluate the effects of a specific industrial policy on:
- Firm and consumer outcomes,
- Market structure,
- Allocative efficiency and distortions,
- Industrial transformation.
- Evaluating different approaches to industrial policy: demand side, supply side, market intervention, etc.
- An IO perspective on the use of industrial policy in developed versus developing countries, or in high-tech versus traditional industries.
- The interaction or relationship between industrial policy and government ownership or control of firms.
- Industrial policies to stimulate:
- Technological life-cycle, such as infant industry protection, industrial upgrading, adopting frontier technologies, etc;
- Network effects, such as platforms, data, externalities, infrastructure, etc;
- General purpose technologies;
- Resilience of supply chains (GVCs) especially in key industries, such as microprocessors, batteries, etc.
Papers should be submitted through the IJIO online submission system by October 31, 2024. When you submit, please choose the name of the special issue in article type. Submitted papers will undergo a fast-track anonymous review process, on a rolling basis. We aim to provide feedback in 6 to 8 weeks. Selected papers will be invited for presentation at a conference dedicated to the special issue, which will take place in Hong Kong in May 2025. This conference is generously sponsored by the Institute of China Economy at the University of Hong Kong.
We expect the special issue to be published by the end of 2025.
Guest editors of the special issue are Johannes Van Biesebroeck (KU Leuven) and Hongsong Zhang (University of Hong Kong). The editorial team of IJIO provides generous support for this special issue.
We look forward to your submission!