Public and Private Technological Innovation Strategies in a Spatial Context: The Case of France

Abstract

Some decisive elements of implicit or explicit technology policies have escaped policy attention in France. These elements and their relationship with patterns of regional development are highlighted in this paper. The ‘modernization’ strategy in France is examined first, and then the regional dynamics of high-technology production are explored. Subsequently, the role of military expenditure in regional development processes is evaluated. It is concluded that this implicit policy has dramatically altered the character of industrial activity bundles in selected regions and has greatly influenced their potential for future technology-intensive growth. The regional subsidies and incentive policies have proven less important, insofar as modernization and technological change is concerned, than the military expenditures. It is argued that there is little evidence that the impressive military procurement program is integrated with other aspects of regional policy and no evidence that it is playing a role in the industrial restructuring of the older industrial areas.