Study Groups

Industrial policy is back. The intersecting challenges of the green transition, inclusive growth and geopolitical competition have set the scene for more openly interventionist governments across much of the world. The Biden administration has articulated a new approach to industrial strategy: investing in infrastructure and the clean economy, empowering workers in “left-behind” areas and promoting domestic competition. Communities across the US are working out how to realize these goals, while other countries are scrambling to respond in kind. But does this shift represent a new paradigm in how governments operate or just a change in rhetoric? What does it actually look like to implement industrial policy on the ground?

The study group will conclude with a trip to D.C. in April 2024 to hear from policymakers engaged in industrial policy in the US and abroad. 

In Spring 2023, we co-sponsored the Future of Coal Regions Study Group with the Belfer Center's Environment and Natural Resources Program, for Harvard students to learn and share knowledge about the challenges facing coal-producing regions, to identify opportunities for overcoming these challenges, and to foster connections and collaborations between students, faculty, and affiliates. The study group focused on coal-producing regions around the world, but the discussion is expected to generate insights applicable to other fossil-fuel-producing regions.