Gerschenkron (1962) argued that public institutions such as the State Bank of the Russian Empire spurred the country's industrialization. We test this assertion by exploiting plant-level variation in access to State Bank branches using a unique geocoded factory data set. Employing an...

Many observers see the Covid-19 crisis as marking a major shift in neoliberal globalization. We analyze this question from the perspective of South Africa. We argue that the 2020 crisis has not precipitated a major shift as much as it has rapidly accelerated trends which were already under way...

This paper investigates the impact of South Korea's rapid robotization, driven by the country's proactive robotization policies, on subjective well-being using individual and householdlevel panel data. We measure individual exposure to robotization by estimating the probability that individuals...

Industrial policies are widespread, but evidence on their workforce effects remains limited. We present novel evidence on the impact of EU technology subsidies on employment and skill demand in Finnish SMEs, 1994-2018. The subsidies fund new machinery, including robots and CNC machines....

The single market is the European Union's most powerful economic asset, yet persistent barriers continue to undermine its potential. We argue that realising that potential requires a dual strategy: strengthening compliance with existing rules and advancing targeted harmonisation where regulatory...

We use nearly a decade's worth of panel data from European Union Chamber of Commerce in China business confidence surveys to analyse the deteriorating outlooks of EU firms in China from 2017 to 2025. All firms in China currently face challenges including slow profit growth and deflation. These...

Using Chinese firm-level trade data combined with global anti-dumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations, we uncover a previously overlooked cost of industrial policy under WTO agreements. At every stage of AD/CVD investigation, subsidies significantly raise the probability of...

This article estimates the impact of government subsidies on productivity growth in South Africa, joining the ongoing debate among economists regarding the effectiveness of subsidies as a driver of industrial productivity. While some argue that subsidies address market failures, facilitate R&D,...

Industrial policy has become a core item in the policy agenda of many governments as well as of the EU which has come up with many policy initiatives over the past two decades. This paper emphasises the important shifts taking place in the global economy with the rise of China but also of other...

Amid the evolving U.S.-China tariff realignment and the broader restructuring of global value chains, this paper evaluates the vulnerability and strategic positioning of the Philippines alongside four other ASEAN economies-Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. For the ASEAN-5, the key...

This paper examines Indonesia's upgrading within the global nickel value chain. Indonesia's transformation from a major nickel ore exporter into an integrated producer of refined nickel products offers important lessons for resource-rich developing countries seeking economic diversification....

Industrial policies are interventions by public authorities with the purpose of influencing the sectoral (or locational) structure of an economy. Authorities could have a multitude of objectives in mind. With the rising geopolitical tensions between the US and China, IP experienced a revival....

Hydrogen plays a central role in policies aimed at decarbonisation, energy autonomy, industrial competitiveness, and development. This study analyses hydrogen policies, revealing how their design may undermine just transition goals and instead reinforce existing spatial inequalities. Drawing on...

Industrial policy has a long history, having been used by many governments to encourage economic development through the provision of direct financial support and/or supportive regulations to specific sectors and industries. Over the past decade, the energy transition has increasingly forced...

Adequate policy space is essential for resource-rich countries to move up the value chain and seize the opportunities presented by global decarbonization and the demand for low-carbon technologies. However, WTO rules, investment and free trade agreements (FTAs) deprive nonhegemonic powers of the...

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed under the Biden administration in August 2022, is the biggest US climate bill to date. Its focus on subsidy-driven decarbonization incentives marks a potential turning point in US industrial policy and might prevent its repeal under the upcoming Trump...

Trade conflicts, geopolitical tensions, digital disruption, and the climate crisis pose major challenges for the European Union (EU) and its member states. As called for in the Draghi Report, industrial policy measures can increase competitiveness, strengthen resilience, and facilitate the twin...