Green Industrial Policy: Promoting Competitiveness and Structural Transformation

Industrial policy — or strategic government measures that aim to promote new economic sectors and accelerate structural change — has traditionally been employed to enhance productivity, boost competitiveness, and promote economic growth. Today, green industrial policy follows this same approach of state-driven structural change while also promoting broader social and environmental goals.

By drawing from recent examples of green industrial policy, countries can generate the benefits of traditional industrial policy while accelerating the shift away from carbon-intensive industrial production to more sustainable models, thus advancing the transition towards a green economy while reducing the numerous environmental risks lying ahead.

The course is designed to advance learning on green industrial policy at a high technical level and serves two types of users. First, the course provides individual learners with the knowledge and conceptual tools to grasp and shape the global debate on modernizing the industrial basis of our economies. Secondly, lecturers and instructors are encouraged to use the course materials and apply them within their instructional activities by integrating them into existing curricula and/or programmes.

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Target Audience

The course features a distinct design to support trainers and lecturers in advancing learning on green industrial policy at a high technical level. A suite of didactic instruments is offered for integration or tailoring into
existing instructional activities. Users are also welcome to peruse the course materials for self-study, since the material is presented in the format of a standalone online course. Those with a robust pre-existing understanding of the wider topic are expected to benefit the most. The course should be of particular interest to the following audiences:

Training institutions and universities, e.g. those entities educating the current and next generation of decision makers in public and private sectors;
Policymakers and planners, e.g. those working on the design, implementation and/or evaluation of contemporary industrial policy;
Civil society, e.g. non-governmental organizations, advocacy groups and industrial associations.

Learning Objectives

Building upon the trilogy of reports on green industrial policy developed under PAGE, this course aims to build capacities among its target audience with respect to the following areas:

Explain the rationale for advancing green industry;
Differentiate the main concepts related to green industrial policy;
Highlight relevant empirical evidence in support of policy reform;
Distinguish policy instruments to foster structural change;
Appraise strategic considerations during policy design, implementation and evaluation;
Outline the relationship between green industrial policy and trade.