Professor David Bailey’s research entitled Changing Lanes? Brexit and UK Automotive: Impacts and implications for corporate strategies and industrial policy’, will explore the impact of Brexit on UK manufacturing, with particular focus on the automotive industry. Professor Bailey will also provide insight on what Britain’s departure from the EU means for corporate strategies in dealing with Brexit, and in turn for industrial policy in the UK.
Policy analysis under the project will range from how to respond to possible shocks through to longer term industrial policy measures to reposition the sector in the wake of Brexit. This will also recognise the wide ranging technology shifts now taking place in the sector away from internal combustion engine (ICE) technology towards Autonomous Connected Electric (ACE) technologies.
With the uncertainty surrounding Brexit causing sales and investment in the UK automotive industry to decline, David explains that “the fellowship offers an opportunity to explore how Brexit will impact on the sector, and how firms’ strategies may change. And beyond Brexit, what sort of industrial policy we need going forward will be a major feature of work on the project.”
Led by Professor Anand Menon, the UKICE initiative aims to promote rigorous, high-quality and independent research into the complex and ever-changing relationship between the UK and the European Union. David Bailey was one of nine fellows in total, all of whom are academics of the highest international standing in their fields. Their role will be to provide evidence and analysis, which leads to impact and dissemination across the broad range of issues and policy areas affected by Brexit. Jeremy Neathey, Deputy Director of Research at ESRC comments, “The appointment of this cohort is a crucial part of that effort and builds on the valuable work of the previous fellows.”