Technology Policy in the European Union

Citation

Peterson, J. and Sharp, M. (2000), "Technology Policy in the European Union", Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 100 No. 1, pp. 46-48. https://doi.org/10.1108/imds.2000.100.1.46.5

Technological change is transforming economic, political and social life at the dawn of the new millennium, and this at the same time as European integration is entering a new and uncertain phase. The accelerating pace of technological change makes it a more important determinant of the way in which economies, politics and societies are organised than ever before. Against this backdrop, the European Union has developed an important role in technology policy. Its collaborative programmes in research and technological development, alongside the intergovernmental EUREKA programme, now involve nearly all major European firms with high‐tech capabilities.

The EU’s expending technology policy role can be justified by both competitive challenges and advantages which are more or less shared by all its member states. However, the politics of European technology policy remain lively and contentious. They reflect wider debates about the proper role of the EU in European political and economic life.

This important new book provides an authoritative yet accessible assessment of the development, size and impact of European technology policies, and a critique of their current direction. The authors bring together insights from economics and politics, uniquely combining theory and empirical analysis in a highly readable text.

John Peterson is Jean Monnet Senior Lecturer in European Politics, University of Glasgow. His previous publications include High Technology and the Competition State.

Margaret Sharp is Senior Research Fellow, Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex. Her previous publications include European Technological Collaboration (with Claire Shearman).