# 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](https://www.hbku.edu.qa/cl), is funded by
the
Qatar National Research Fund and works in collaboration with [Georgetown University in Qatar
(GU-Q)](https://www.qatar.georgetown.edu/), [Graduate
Institute of International
and Development Studies, Geneva](https://www.graduateinstitute.ch/), 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](https://www.hbku.edu.qa/cl/ipdd/team).

### 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.