Transforming Economies: Making industrial policy work for growth, jobs and development

The new book is to be presented by three of its editors, including José M. Salazar-Xirinachs, ILO Assistant Director-General for Policy, during the 103rd of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.

The book launch ceremony is being chaired by Aeneas Chuma, the ILO Regional Director for Africa with two keynote addresses by ILO Director-General Guy Ryder and UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi.

“Transforming Economies: Making industrial policy work for growth, jobs and development” argues that industrial policy goes beyond targeting preferred economic activities, sectors and technologies.


This perspective encourages a broad and integrated approach to industrial policy. Only a coherent set of investment, trade, technology, education and training policies supported by macroeconomic, financial and labour market policies can adequately respond to the myriad challenges of learning and structural transformation faced by countries aiming at achieving development objectives.

The book contains analyses of national and sectoral experiences in Costa Rica, the Republic of Korea, India, Brazil, China, South Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and the United States. Practical lessons and fundamental principles for industrial policy design and implementation are distilled from the country case studies. Given the fact that many countries today engage in industrial policy, this collection of contributions on theory and practice can be helpful to policy-makers and practitioners in making industrial policy work for growth, jobs and development.