University of Twente Student Theses
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EU Technological Competitiveness: A Case Study on the European Semiconductor Industry’s Response to U.S. and Chinese Policies
Lokerse, S.H. (2025) EU Technological Competitiveness: A Case Study on the European Semiconductor Industry’s Response to U.S. and Chinese Policies.
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| Abstract: | This thesis investigates how and why the European Union is responding to intensifying global competition in the semiconductor sector, particularly in light of the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act and China’s Made in China 2025 strategy. The analysis draws on two theoretical frameworks geoeconomics and innovation policy theory each associated with a testable hypothesis: one predicting a strategic, state led approach (H1), and the other anticipating a collaborative, innovation driven logic (H2). To examine these hypotheses, a qualitative document analysis was conducted using Atlas.ti. The dataset comprises official EU communications, Dutch government policies, corporate reports from key industry actors such as ASML and AxeleraAI, and relevant academic literature. Documents were coded using a structured binary coding scheme aligned with the two theoretical logics. The findings provide strong support for H1 within EU and national government texts, which emphasize strategic autonomy, security, centralized coordination, and supply chain reshoring. In contrast, support for H2 is most evident in corporate and academic sources, where emphasis is placed on research ecosystems, public–private collaboration, and the entrepreneurial role of firms. The strategy also exhibits hybrid characteristics, referencing global competitors as both threats and models, and exposing institutional frictions within the EU. Overall, the thesis concludes that the EU’s semiconductor strategy reflects a pragmatic synthesis of geoeconomic and innovation policy logics, shaped by external pressure and internal institutional dynamics. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 70 social sciences in general, 88 social and public administration |
| Programme: | Management Society and Technology BSc (56654) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/107895 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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