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A fourth industrial revolution? Digital transformation, labor and work organization: a view from Spain

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  • Francisco-Javier Braña

    (Instituto Complutense de Estudios Internacionales (ICEI))

Abstract

The paper offers an overview of how the process of technological innovation known as digitization affects the capitalist production mode and its relations of production, particularly in Spain, based on a review of the bibliography and the statistical sources available. The gradual appearance or development, since the last quarter of the last century, of a set of information and communication technologies, which allow the hybridization between the physical and the digital world, erasing the borders between both worlds, has led to talk of Industry 4.0 also called “the fourth industrial revolution”. After this supposed revolution, there would be a digital revolution. Though is paradoxical that, since the 1980s, in Europe the industry continues to lose weight in the economy as a whole, in employment and participation in Gross Value Added. The paper reviews the effects of digitalization and automation on employment and working conditions, in particular polarization, changes in employment shares across occupations, and jobs at risk, with some emphasis in the Spanish case. In the last section the paper intends to answer the question whether there is a progressive industrial policy feasible.

Suggested Citation

  • Francisco-Javier Braña, 2019. "A fourth industrial revolution? Digital transformation, labor and work organization: a view from Spain," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 46(3), pages 415-430, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:epolin:v:46:y:2019:i:3:d:10.1007_s40812-019-00122-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s40812-019-00122-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mary Hallward-Driemeier & Gaurav Nayyar, 2017. "Trouble in the Making?," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 27946, December.
    2. Maarten Goos & Alan Manning & Anna Salomons, 2014. "Explaining Job Polarization: Routine-Biased Technological Change and Offshoring," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(8), pages 2509-2526, August.
    3. Mariana Mazzucato, 2015. "Building the Entrepreneurial State: A New Framework for Envisioning and Evaluating a Mission-oriented Public Sector," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_824, Levy Economics Institute.
    4. Ljubica Nedelkoska & Glenda Quintini, 2018. "Automation, skills use and training," OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers 202, OECD Publishing.
    5. Jesus Felipe (ed.), 2015. "Development and Modern Industrial Policy in Practice," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 16411.
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    Cited by:

    1. Guo, Xiaochuan & Li, Mengmeng & Wang, Yanlin & Mardani, Abbas, 2023. "Does digital transformation improve the firm’s performance? From the perspective of digitalization paradox and managerial myopia," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    2. Antonio Miceli & Birgit Hagen & Maria Pia Riccardi & Francesco Sotti & Davide Settembre-Blundo, 2021. "Thriving, Not Just Surviving in Changing Times: How Sustainability, Agility and Digitalization Intertwine with Organizational Resilience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-17, February.
    3. Emilio Abad-Segura & Mariana-Daniela González-Zamar, 2020. "Research Analysis on Emerging Technologies in Corporate Accounting," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-29, September.

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