Deindustrialisation reconsidered: Structural shifts and sectoral heterogeneity

Main author: Tregenna, Fiona
Other authors: Andreoni, Antonio
Format: Monographs and Working Papers           
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id eprints-38579
recordtype eprints
institution SOAS, University of London
collection SOAS Research Online
language English
language_search English
description As a stylised fact of deindustrialisation, the relationship between Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the share of manufacturing in GDP and employment generally follows an invertedU pattern, across countries and over time. We analyse the changing dynamics of deindustrialisation, in particular premature deindustrialisation, and the heterogeneity of deindustrialisation experiences. Our results bring to light the high degree of heterogeneity within manufacturing, both between low-, medium- and high-tech manufacturing, and also within each of these categories. Significantly, not all sub-sectors of manufacturing display an inverted-U pattern. The greater the technological intensity of a manufacturing activity, the less concave is its pattern of development, becoming a monotonically increasing line and even a convex curve for the most high-tech sub-sectors. In terms of changes over time, while the curve shifts downwards and to the left for manufacturing as a whole, these dynamics also vary a lot by sub-sector. We provide an analytical framework for characterising the diversity of country experiences over time, and propose a working definition for premature deindustrialisation that allows us to identify possible premature deindustrialisers. The findings emphasise the importance of targeted policy responses that take into account the specific nature of deindustrialisation in particular country contexts, rather than ‘one-size-fits-all’ policies. For instance, it is clear that even high-income economies can grow the shares of at least some sub-sectors of manufacturing in GDP and/or employment
format Monographs and Working Papers
author Tregenna, Fiona
author_facet Tregenna, Fiona
Andreoni, Antonio
authorStr Tregenna, Fiona
author_letter Tregenna, Fiona
author2 Andreoni, Antonio
author2Str Andreoni, Antonio
title Deindustrialisation reconsidered: Structural shifts and sectoral heterogeneity
publisher UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, Working Paper Series 2020-06, University College London.
publishDate 2020
url https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/38579/