Renouveau des politiques industrielles : le point de vue des théories évolutionnistes

Abstract

In this paper the implications of evolutionary theories for industrial policies are analysed. The analysis focuses in particular on the concept of National System of Innovation (NSI) and on its theoretical justification. The existence of properties like irreversibility, path dependency and multistability, which are shown by real NSIs, are predicted by evolutionary theories. The possibility of out of equilibrium processes and the limited determinism which are inherent in evolutionary theories have radical implications for industrial policies. Such implications are discussed in the paper together with the possibility of convergence and, therefore, of disappearance of NSIs, which could follow the globalization of the world economy. These considerations provide a new justification for industrial policies, but make their formulation and implementation much more complex than in the past.