The WCP's first Research Hub and Knowledge-Sharing Webinar Maps Emerging Digital and Industrial Policies

The WCP hosted the first of its Research Hub and Knowledge-Sharing Webinar Series on 27 November 2025. This series of webinars has been set up to allow WCP Chairs to share their recent or ongoing research with the WTO Secretariat. Led by the WCP Chair in Qatar at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), the first webinar focused on early findings from the Industrial Policy for Digitalization and Development (IPDD) project. The research draws on a newly developed database covering 1,454 laws and policies across 186 economies, offering one of the most comprehensive mappings of digital and industrial regulation to date.

The session introduced the IPDD project’s objective of examining how governments are increasingly using industrial policy to manage digitalization, sustainability, and national security concerns. Key outputs include concise country profiles, in-depth country reports, and the IPDD database itself, which tracks policies related to areas such as artificial intelligence, data protection, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure.

Early findings point to selective convergence among major digital powers.  The discussion also highlighted how digital regulations are increasingly raised in WTO committees, particularly the Technical Barriers to Trade Committee.

Participants further explored how middle-income and emerging economies are navigating digital transformation, with examples of flexible and innovative approaches to digital governance. The exchange underscored the value of the IPDD database as a public-good resource for policymakers and researchers seeking to better understand evolving digital and industrial policy landscapes.

The views expressed during the webinar are those of the presenters and do not necessarily reflect the views of the WTO or its Members.