## Industrial Policies: Handle with Care

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [Industrial Policies: Handle with Care](https://www.imf.org/en/countries/resrep/oap-home/2026/aprs-on-ips-0225)

## Other formats

- [Markdown version](/en/countries/resrep/oap-home/2026/aprs-on-ips-0225/index.md)
- [Structured JSON version](/en/countries/resrep/oap-home/2026/aprs-on-ips-0225/index.json)
- [Bundle manifest](/en/countries/resrep/oap-home/2026/aprs-on-ips-0225/bundle-manifest.json)

### Contact

For event inquiries:  
International Monetary Fund  
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific  
Email: [OAPEconomicSeminar@IMF.org](mailto:OAPEconomicSeminar@imf.org)

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### Overview
- Event organized by the IMF Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.
- Topic: IMF Staff Discussion Note titled “Industrial Policies: Handle with Care”.
- Focus: Reassessment of benefits and costs of industrial policies (IPs) as they are increasingly implemented.
- Themes examined: economic and geopolitical drivers of IPs and their impact on targeted sectors.

### Key findings from the Staff Discussion Note (as presented at the seminar)
- IPs yield moderate and uneven economic gains.
- IPs are more effective when:
  - addressing highly-distorted upstream sectors, and
  - deployed with suitable tools.
- Structural reforms generally offer greater benefits and strengthen the link between IPs and economic performance.
- IPs may result in significant fiscal costs.
- IPs may generate unintended spillovers that can potentially accelerate economic fragmentation.
- Conclusion emphasized: careful management of IPs is crucial.

### Seminar logistics
- Date & Time: Wednesday, February 25, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Japan Time (GMT+9)
- Format: Online (Webex)
- Language: English
- How to join: Registration is required.
- Session structure:
  - 10:00 AM — Opening; Takashi Nagaoka, Director, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, IMF
  - 10:05 AM — Presentation by Samuel Pienknagura, Senior Economist, Research Department, IMF
  - 10:35 AM — Q&A session
  - 10:55 AM — Closing & post-event survey

### Speaker profile (presentation)
- Samuel Pienknagura
  - Position: Senior Economist at the IMF’s Research Department.
  - Prior roles: Worked at the IMF's Regional Studies Division for the Western Hemisphere; Senior Economist at the World Bank (Office of the Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean); country economist for Chile, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua.
  - Education: PhD in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Master’s degree from CEMFI; BA degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
  - Research interests: International Economics and Macroeconomics, with a focus on developing economies.

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## References

- [Regional Office Website](https://www.imf.org/en/countries/resrep/oap-home)
- [Asia-Pacific Regional Seminar Series](https://www.imf.org/en/Countries/ResRep/OAP-Home/asia-pacific-regional-seminar-series)
- [High-level Economic Policy Conferences](https://www.imf.org/en/Countries/ResRep/OAP-Home/policy-conferences)
- [Macroeconomist Training Program](https://www.imf.org/en/Countries/ResRep/OAP-Home/macroeconomist-training-program)
- [Japan-IMF Scholarship Program for Asia](https://www.imf.org/en/Countries/ResRep/OAP-Home/JISPA-Home)
- [Industrial Policies: Handle with Care](https://www.imf.org/en/publications/staff-discussion-notes/issues/2025/03/21/industrial-policies-handle-with-care-561795)

_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/countries/resrep/oap-home/2026/aprs-on-ips-0225_