From manufacturing nostalgia to a strategy for economic transformation

While supportive to the basic idea that governments need to take on a more active role in influencing the direction of investments and technological change I raise some questions to the paper by Lucchese et al. (Economia e Polictica Industriale-J Ind Bus Econ, in this issue, 2016). Should there be strong emphasis on promoting manufacturing? Is the economic ‘sector’ the right target for public policies aiming at economic transformation rather than the technology, the societal need or the region? Should we add horizontal policies aiming at giving new learning opportunities to the low-skilled workers to the strategy? What can be done at the national level when Europe seems to be blocked by a combination of popular nationalism from below and neoliberal dogma from above?