The industrial society in transition: Comparative public policymaking - the United States and Sweden

This paper attempts to contrast the industrial policymaking “styles” of the U.S. and Sweden. The study looks past the clutter of economic and trade issues into underlying political culture and institutional regime. The conceptual framework of pluralism versus managed pluralism is employed to examine some complex issues related to economic and industrial management, and to help explain the problem. A strategy to advance the long-term interests of a country must go beyond the “legislative pork barrel” approach, simply to create employment and to keep jobs. Industrial policy must have both institutional and policy linkages. Government-business cooperation at a sectoral level is essential in providing policy loans and tax incentives. The state, to facilitate policy implementation, has to pursue linkage developments between industrial, human resource, economic, and trade policies.