Integrating Green Policy Perspectives: A Comparative Analysis of Industrial Strategy and Local Implementation in China and the United States

This paper examines the important role of industrial policy in the industrial development of countries, with a special focus on manufacturing. Governments use subsidies, tax benefits and incentives to strengthen strategic industries and create jobs. Since the late 1970s, China's market-oriented reforms have made manufacturing a key driver of economic growth. The government has provided manufacturers with generous tax breaks and low energy and land prices, which has led to massive infrastructure development and the modernization of key manufacturing sectors. In contrast, U.S. industrial policy has evolved through multiple phases, including the New Deal, the post-World War II Marshall Plan, and more recent support for areas such as aerospace, technology, chemicals, semiconductors, and advanced manufacturing. The intertwining of traditional and new energy industries emphasized the need to integrate strategies to promote technological innovation, economic growth and environmental sustainability. Effective industrial policy implementation requires coordination between national, regional and local governments, which play a key role in interpreting and implementing central directives according to regional characteristics. In terms of empirical strategies, this paper analyzes the industrial strategies of China and the United States, focusing on the historical evolution of industrial policies and current green industrial policies in both countries. The different industrial policy paths of China and the United States are revealed through an analysis of the emergence of DARPA, the historical Great Migration in the United States compared to China's household registration system, the influence of firms on government decision-making, the importance of regional policies, carbon-neutral strategies, and a case study of new energy manufacturing in the United States. China has achieved rapid economic growth and industrial modernization through strong government intervention and policy support, while the United States has maintained its science, technology, and innovation leadership through relatively free market mechanisms and government intervention in specific areas. The implementation of green energy policies in both countries, despite the different paths, share the same goal of reducing carbon emissions and transforming the energy mix. Local governments play a key role in the localized implementation of national industrial policies, adopting different strategies according to their economic advantages and political landscape. Through qualitative analysis and case studies, this paper highlights the importance of local governments in national industrial strategies and suggests that future research should further explore the diversity and impact of local government policy implementation.