Industrial policy now has broad World Bank approval but the case for universal adoption remains unclear
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Dennis Robertson was not only one of the finest economic minds of the 20th century, but also an elegant writer who was known for his witticisms. In an essay written in 1956, Robertson quipped: “High-brow opinion is like a hunted hare; if you stand in the same place, or nearly the same place, it can be relied upon to come round to you in a circle.” Those words resonate while reading a new report by the World Bank on industrial policy, or targeted government intervention to shape the economic structure of a country by promoting, protecting or developing specific industries deemed vital to economic growth, export competitiveness, import substitution or geopolitical strategy.
In simpler terms, the government has a say in what is produced within a country. The multilateral lender had famously released a report in 1993 on the miracle economies of East Asia, where it had said that the main reasons for success stories in the region were sound macroeconomic management, investment in human capital and productivity growth driven by export industries.
Industrial policy to aid specific sectors or companies was less important in comparison. Cut to 2026.
Read on livemint.com