The multiple crisis of 2007/8 aggravated the uneven development inside Europe and led to the rise of populist forces in different countries. Progressive industrial policy in the framework of a broader industrial strategy could serve as a tool to reduce the existing imbalances. However, considering climate change, we also need to rethink which kind and quantity of products we need and how their production can be organised consistent with the goal of the social-ecological transformation, e.g. by strengthening regional and local economies. In this context, I draw on theoretical debates in the global South regarding dependency relations and self-reliant development.

Julia Eder is doing a PhD in Sociology at the University of Linz, Austria, and currently holds the Marietta Blau Scholarship from the Austrian Ministry of Education, Science and Research. Her research analyses different aspects of trade and industrial policy. She is particularly interested in the overcoming of dependency relations and progressive (multi-scale) development strategies to promote the social-ecological transformation. Prior to her scholarship, she worked as a Research Associate in the field of Development Sociology at the Johannes Kepler University Linz. She did her Magister Studies in Development Studies and in Romance Studies at the University of Vienna.