Briefing Paper

Industrial Policy: A Guide for the Perplexed

International trade, which has become a pervasive feature of our lives, remains controversial and resisted across the world. High and rising income inequality, which is often blamed on international trade, especially trade with China, is one reason. However, new technology is the main driver of inequality, not international trade. Although trade interacts with new technology in ways that often lead to higher inequality, trade and technology also lie at the root of economic advance. So the solution is to adapt to them, not to stop them. In Morocco, improved education outcomes are very important in this regard.