About the IPDD Project

Source: https://www.hbku.edu.qa/en/cl/ipdd/about-ipdd Parent: https://www.hbku.edu.qa/en/cl/ipdd

The Industrial Policy for Digital Development (IPDD) Project aims to look at digitalization, sustainability, and national security in the new geo-economic order.

This project, based at HBKU College of Law, is funded by the Qatar National Research Fund and works in collaboration with Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, and the Office of the State of Qatar to the World Trade Organization.

The IPDD Project aims to comparatively study the (re)emergence of industrial law and policy allowing state intervention in the economy, as well as explore its role in digital and sustainable development in the Global South and North – with a focus on emerging economies. Additionally, the project explores how industrial policy is reshaping domestic and international trade and investment policies and agreements.

The project focuses on new industrial and digital policymaking from a (legal) comparative, international, empirical, historical, and political economy perspective. It involves faculty members in law as well as in economics at HBKU, Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), and the Geneva Graduate Institute. For more information on our team, visit our team page.

Project Rationale

Industrial policy was a “no-go zone” until a couple of years ago. The rise of industrial policy is associated with recent economic, financial, and health emergencies. Until 2018, a majority of states had in place formal industrial policies; most were developed in the aftermath of the global financial crisis of 2008. The COVID-19 pandemic has spearheaded a new set of policies for government intervention and industrial development.

New industrial policies are largely different from the ones of previous decades. Their goal is to coordinate public and private sector activity, as well as jumpstart new economic sectors. Moreover, the new targeted “industries” are in the areas of digital and sustainable economy. Finally, they are more outward-looking compared to older industrial policies; they aim at creating comparative advantages for states in the international economy and shelter states from national security emergencies.

Project aims and methodology

The project team aims to study emerging industrial and digital policies, their impact on digital and sustainable development, as well as their implications in international ordering. The core aims include:

• Research in industrial and digital policy: The project aims to conduct comparative research with a socioeconomic and geo-economic/international focus. This will be achieved by mapping industrial and digital policies and assessing their contribution to digital and sustainable development in the Global South and North with a focus on emerging economies.
• Education and capacity building: The project will inaugurate a new TradeLab, which aims to educate future policymakers on new industrial policies, as well as allow them to engage with government stakeholders. Additionally, this will include legal and policy training in Qatar that will aim at informing policymakers on new developments in the areas of the project. Moreover, the project team is developing a MOOC on the topics of the project.
• Policy development: The project will analyze industrial policies with a view to providing guidance and insights to policymakers and other stakeholders. The guidance will develop evidence-based recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders to support effective industrial policy, and digital and sustainable development.

Project objectives

• Conduct a comparative study of emerging industrial policies in the Global South and North with a focus on emerging markets such as Qatar.
• Explore the role of industrial policies in achieving the goals of digital and sustainable development.
• Explore the geo-economic and national security implications of the rise of industrial and digital policy.
• Appraise the impact of changes taking place at the international level on developing and emerging economies.