Industrial Policy Can Lift Productivity—but Comes With Risks and Trade-offs

Industrial Policy Can Lift Productivity—but Comes With Risks and Trade-offs

For much of the past three decades, industrial policy was treated with skepticism in mainstream economic thinking. Governments were encouraged to step back, let markets allocate capital, and focus on creating stable macroeconomic conditions rather than picking winners. The assumption was that open trade, competition, and private investment would naturally drive productivity growth. That consensus […]