Industrial policy, multilevel governance and regional development: the case of the UK semiconductor industry

This article identifies the main governance challenges in formulating and implementing national industrial policies that aim to foster regional development. It explores the interface between industrial policy, multilevel governance and regional development. The article takes a case study approach focusing on the UK Government’s semiconductor industrial strategy in the context of an emerging semiconductor cluster in South Wales. It finds that in this case industrial policy emerged from a decision-making process that was particularly divorced from regional considerations. It concludes that national governments must more seriously engage with multilevel governance if industrial policy is to be successful.