Preface- Special issue on Industrial Policy

Abstract

Industrial policy, a term once eschewed in “serious” discussions of development policy and strategy, is back in currency. This renewed interest is evident in the increasing body of both academic and popular literature that explicitly references the term in recent years. The Philippine Review of Economics initiated a roundtable discussion to take stock of the current state of knowledge on the subject, particularly as it relates to the Philippine experience. The articles in this issue were first presented during the roundtable discussion on October 17-18, 2024 held at the University of the Philippines School of Economics and revised for publication.

The Review thanks the authors of the papers for the revisions done on the earlier drafts and the discussants—Ramon Clarete, Emmanuel de Dios, Raul Fabella, Hal Hill, Felipe Medalla, Mead Over, and Gonzalo Varela—for their incisive comments which have also been included in this issue. We are grateful to the Philippine Center for Economic Development for supporting the initiative.

We hope this issue provokes further discussion and research on the subject of industrial policy and its implications for the future of Philippine development.