We argue that the turn to industrial policy can play a vital role in reconnecting finance to the real economy—but only if industrial policy is seen holistically as a comprehensive economic development strategy, and not just as a way to onshore the making of particular widgets.
Thus, the attaching of conditions to industrial policy loans and grants should be seen as a normal part of development lending (as it is at World Bank and elsewhere) - not a distraction. @lenorepalladino and @Isabel_Estevez_ have been really sharp on this. rooseveltinstitute.org/publications/t…
We conclude on the value of a "public option for private equity" in the industrial policy space, including through a National Investment Authority. This can help get around capacity constraints in existing federal agencies, and revives and improves on best practices from FDR era.
Movement towards NIA-like institutions can happen even in divided government, as the 1932-33 genesis of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation shows. politico.com/news/magazine/…
2024 was a productive year for the industrial policy and trade work @rooseveltinst! Here's a thread 🧵with a few of the highlights.
First, "Industrial Policy 2025: Bringing the State Back In (Again)." @lenorepalladino @JonasAlgers @andreafurnaro @Kyunghoon_Kim_ & @cfrosado show what IP beyond tax credits might look like. rooseveltinstitute.org/publications/i…
In @DemJournal's spring issue, I wrote on "Moving Past Global Neoliberalism" and how a building agenda could potentially translate into more support for democracy at home and abroad. democracyjournal.org/magazine/72/mo…
The decision followed a split recommendation by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS), an interagency body set up under the Defense Production Act (DPA) to evaluate national security risks to cross-border mergers. law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/50…
Much commentary has misrepresented what CFIUS/DPA are about. Contrary to some, the US does not need to making a finding that Nippon or Japan are imminent threats to the survival of the US as a country. Rather, the statute identifies 10 (non-exclusive) reasons to block mergers.
How Industrial Policy Gets Done: Frontline Lessons from Three Federal Officials
I interviewed @katenrg @RonnieChatterji & Satyam Khanna about their time helping set up the offices that are building middle-out economics.
🧵 rooseveltinstitute.org/publications/h…
For arguably the first time since the Roosevelt administration, there's an acknowledged and massive effort to influence the composition and practices of industries operating in the US.
Trillions in public and private capital are moving into communities all over the 🇺🇸.
These industrial policy efforts are not falling from the sky: they're being driven by real people, trying to solve problems in real time.
In this brief, we were interested in one group of said people: the advisors in federal agencies like @ENERGY @EPA & @CommerceGov.
In an election year where both political parties have deployed tariffs as a tool of statecraft, @DemJournal asked @ENPancotti @mattyglesias and me to debate the pros and cons, when tariffs work, and when they are damaging.
🧵 democracyjournal.org/magazine/74/ar…
Liz and I were assigned the "pro-tariff" side of the debate, though we offer caveats.
Our main argument is that it's too easy to put tariffs in a politics/public choice box, when in fact there are long established market failure reasons for their use.
Moreover, having taking the fork in the road towards industrial policy subsidies to internalize positive externalities from decarbonization, it would have been unwise policy/an abdication of fiduciary responsibility to allow imports to wipe out new clean industries.
This is the result of a 4 year review since the beginning of the Biden administration, which has been evaluating whether various Chinese policies comport with US trade laws.
Fantastic panel @HarvardMWC on lessons we can learn from global experiences with industrial policy, with @rodrikdani @straightedge @myrto_kaloup and @rohlamba.
Myrto talking Chinese shipbuilding excess capacity. Has 50-70% market share today.
@Rohan_Sandhu Myrto says Chinese shipbuilding not efficient when taken on their own, but had clear benefits in terms of outward exports / lowering transportation costs / enhancing military capacity. nber.org/papers/w26075