Le politiche industriali regionali nel Regno Unito (The regional industrial policies in the United Kingdom)

WP 09/2004; This paper aims at examining the regional industrial policies at present in place in the United Kingdom. The analysis is divided in two parts: while the first one provides a survey of the national level, the second one is focused on the regional level. After a thorough description of the governance structure of the industrial policies in the UK, it follows a brief analysis of the incentive schemes provided for firms. The same framework is adopted in the case of Wales, the region choosen for a regional investigation. The results highlight the importance and the consequences played by the devolution process and the new labour programme. The main changes are the introduction of the Regional Development Agencies in England and the establishment of the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly. These new bodies have the power to elaborate strategies and implement policies to improve the economic development. However, this picture is still in progress, as it lacks clarity on 'who does what' at the national level. Besides, fewer and more focused incentive schemes are required and more attention to meet the needs of SMEs should be devoted