Governments as strategists in designing global players: the case of European utilities

Industrial policies at a time of liberalization: the internationalization of European transport enterprises

“…Indeed, bus and coach firms in both countries have a significant share of passenger traffic on both local and national routes, while road hauliers dominate the logistics market. 1 Both companies became economically and financially viable after a considerable delay compared with their direct competitors, and this is in line with the findings of studies which have highlighted the notion of mismanaged state capitalism with reference to Southern European countries (Colli et al, 2013;Della Sala, 2004;Schmidt, 2009). Despite such similar original models and policy legacies, the two companies have followed divergent trajectories.…”

“…This literature has been expanded both empirically and theoretically in an attempt to go beyond the original focus on macro-economic issues and explanatory models based on the functioning of the financial sector and labour relations. Indeed, new policies have been investigated, as in the case of network industries and newly liberalized markets (Levi-Faur, 1999;Thatcher, 2007), while the role of the state as a strategic actor in designing industrial policies has been more thoroughly examined (Colli et al, 2013;Della Sala, 2004;Jackson and Deeg, 2012;Schmidt, 2002Schmidt, , 2009). More specifically a clear-cut distinction has been drawn between continental European states and the British experience with reference to the state's attitude toward industrial policy.…”

“…According to Colli and colleagues, the British experience shows that the more a government liberalizes a given sector, the less national industry will be able to expand its domain abroad, because firms have too much to do to be competitive in their domestic market to be able to commit significant resources to boosting their internationalization. Conversely, coordinated economies will be willing to protect their national champions and are thus more likely to achieve better outcomes, even though some intervening variables, such as the territorial structure of the country or a tradition of mismanaged administrative structures, may negatively affect industrial policies (Colli et al, 2013;Della Sala, 2004;Schmidt, 2009).…”

“…The approach has been inspired by a typical mercantilist logic by which protection of the domestic environment from potential threats by foreign firms constitutes the cornerstone upon which a competitive advantage on the international markets can be built (Colli et al, 2013).…”

New forms of industrial policy in the age of regulation: A comparison of electricity and telecommunications in Italy and Spain

“…Some have taken advantage of market integration by expanding abroad to become global leaders in their sector; others have either been confined to a marginal role in the EU market or taken over by foreign competitors (Clifton et al, 2010;Clifton, Comin, & Diaz-Fuentes, 2011). This article contributes to the growing literature analyzing the factors behind successful internationalization (Clifton et al, 2010;Colli, Mariotti, & Piscitello, 2014;Di Giulio, 2018), comparing the efforts of the Italian and Spanish Note. This article contributes to the growing literature analyzing the factors behind successful internationalization (Clifton et al, 2010;Colli, Mariotti, & Piscitello, 2014;Di Giulio, 2018), comparing the efforts of the Italian and Spanish Note.…”