The comparative role of policies in low-tech industry development – evidence from Wales, Denmark and Ireland

Following the current interest in studying ‘micro-systems’, we studied one, where links between sub-industries and activities are horizontally developed in three different environments, Denmark, Wales, and Ireland. The countries have similar regional mixed rural and urban settings, where food and drink are essential components of such local economies (Danson et al., 2015). We selected the Craft beer ‘micro system’ because:

It displays interesting dynamics.

Particularly vulnerable to external shocks.

Suffered a series of multiple shocks either simultaneously in the case of Wales or in a sequence as in Denmark and Ireland.

Research question

“What is the role of policy in low tech industry development: A case study of the craft beer industry in 3 countries across two economic shocks, Brexit and Covid-19”.

Contribution to research

We add to existing debates on resilience: the roles of policies and business model innovation in an industry that is rarely studied, especially not from a comparative perspective.