New patterns of governance for industrial change: Perspectives for Brazil

Brazil is one of many developing countries that are struggling to upgrade their industries to attain international competitiveness. Sustained industrial competitiveness, this article argues, rests not only on firms' capabilities (micro-level) and a stable economic framework (macro-level) but also and in particular on a tissue of supporting, sector-specific and specialised institutions and targeted policies (meso-level) and on governance structures that facilitate problem-solving between state and societal actors (meta-level). The concept of systemic competitiveness seeks to address the interrelationship between the four levels. The article analyses various obstacles to achieving systemic competitiveness in the particular case of Brazil.