@article{6f96b8961e5a409d9ad7d818a4d3a10b,
title = "Capabilities and habitat in industrial renewal: the case of UK textiles",
abstract = "The paper develops an ecological approach to explore conditions for industrial renewal in the UK textiles and apparel sector and the possibilities for policy. The authors argue that the material legacy of deindustrialisation conditions the opportunities for survivor firms and creates specific, sub-sectoral, industrial ecologies. Literature from economics, business studies, development and ecological studies is used to outline a framework that allows different possible relations between firm capability and local habitat. Two sub-sectors, carpets and apparel are used to explore the notion of interaction between firm capability and ecology: though the context of deindustrialisation is similar in some respects, the specific conditions provide quite distinctive opportunities for renewal. In carpets, relatively larger firms have more successfully co-evolved with retailers through various kinds of mutuality; in apparel, a workshop sector of mainly small and micro-firms frequently struggles with predatory behaviour by much larger retailers. The implication of this analysis is that industrial policy needs to be grounded in analysis of the capabilities-habitat interplay, focusing on areas where conditions are favourable or can be improved through supporting firm capabilities and modifying supply chain behaviours. The concepts and analysis are relevant for considering other industries and contexts where industrial renewal depends on producer firms and the ecology in which they operate.",
keywords = "Apparel, Capabilities, Ecology, Industrial policy, Industrial renewal, Textiles",
author = "Julie Froud and Steven Hayes and Hua Wei and Karel Williams",
note = "Funding Information: In the most recent statement of official national industrial policy in the UK, the {\textquoteleft}sector deal{\textquoteright}, a partnership between industry and government focused on a specific industry, has been highlighted, alongside support for various kinds of hard and soft infrastructure (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, 2017B).The first sector deals announced as part of the 2017 Industrial Strategy White Paper include the automotive and life sciences industries, which have been of long-standing interest to governments, and newer, exciting sectors like artificial intelligence, as well as construction, where there is an explicit emphasis on improving productivity (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, 2017C). Less glamourous industries like textiles have not so far been the subject of national sector plans, which are likely to be important to tackle behaviour of buyers and retailers. Local, subsector-level industrial policy plans have a more mainstream, generic focus on improving the quality and availability of inputs, particularly through training and finance where results are likely to be disappointing because there is little connection to capabilities or ecology. The Alliance Project{\textquoteright}s Textiles Growth Programme has been the most high-profile post-financial crisis industrial policy for the broader textiles industry; it was commissioned by Lord Alliance and the Greater Manchester city region authority with financial support from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills under the 2010 Coalition Government.6The aim was to examine {\textquoteleft}the potential for repatriating textiles Funding Information: 6 Under the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) 4,The National Textiles Growth Programme was established with £11m of grant.This was extended with a further award of £19.5m in 2015. By March 2015, 134 grant applications had been funded, using £10.8 of the grant and leveraging £34m of private funding (Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership Board, Alliance Textiles Project Update, 18 May 2015). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Cambridge Political Economy Society. All rights reserved. Copyright: Copyright 2019 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",
year = "2018",
month = sep,
day = "20",
doi = "10.1093/cje/bey028",
language = "English",
volume = "42",
pages = "1643--1669",
journal = "Cambridge Journal of Economics",
issn = "0309-166X",
publisher = "Oxford University Press",
number = "6",
}