Industrial Policy, Power, and Development in a Fragmented Global Economy

This project consists of a joint seminar organized by the IIPPE Political Economy of Industrial Development Working Group and the Young Scholars Initiative (YSI) States and Markets Working Group, to be held on Wednesday 9 September 2026, on the first day of the IIPPE Annual Conference in Lisbon.

The seminar will feature a keynote talk by Tilman Altenburg, a leading scholar in the field of political economy and industrial development. The talk will address contemporary debates on industrial policy, development strategies, and the role of the state in a context of global fragmentation, geopolitical tensions, and technological transitions. The event aims to foster dialogue between senior and early-career researchers, linking theoretical perspectives with ongoing empirical and policy-oriented discussions.

The project is closely aligned with the theme of the IIPPE 2026 Annual Conference, “Capitalism Moving Beyond Neoliberalism: Crises, Changes, and What Comes Next.” The conference framing highlights how the post-1980 neoliberal configuration—built around financialization, “free markets,” limited fiscal activism, and globalized production patterns—has been increasingly destabilized by multiple crises, especially since the Global Financial Crisis and more sharply in recent years. It points to major shifts such as the renewed use of fiscal policy, the return of developmental and industrial policies, and the growing emphasis on “onshoring” and strategic restructuring of production, even as financialization persists in new forms. By focusing on industrial policy, state strategies, and development in a fragmented and conflictual global economy, this seminar directly contributes to the conference’s central question about whether—and how—contemporary capitalism is moving beyond neoliberalism, and what political-economic configurations may be emerging.

In addition to the keynote seminar, the project includes the support of a limited number of travel stipends for early-career scholars. The selected presenters will actively participate in the IIPPE Working Group sessions during the conference, presenting their research and engaging in the broader academic discussions of the Working Group, in addition to attending the keynote seminar.

The initiative is designed to strengthen the integration of early-career researchers into the IIPPE community by encouraging sustained participation in Working Group activities, networking with senior scholars, and the development of longer-term research exchanges.