Green Industrial Policy: Promoting Competitiveness and Structural Transformation

Industrial policy — or strategic government measures that aim to promote new economic sectors and accelerate structural change — has traditionally been employed to enhance productivity, boost competitiveness, and promote economic growth. Today, green industrial policy follows this same approach of state-driven structural change while also promoting broader social and environmental goals.

By drawing from recent examples of green industrial policy, countries can generate the benefits of traditional industrial policy while accelerating the shift away from carbon-intensive industrial production to more sustainable models, thus advancing the transition towards a green economy while reducing the numerous environmental risks lying ahead.

The course is designed to advance learning on green industrial policy at a high technical level and serves two types of users. First, the course provides individual learners with the knowledge and conceptual tools to grasp and shape the global debate on modernizing the industrial basis of our economies. Secondly, lecturers and instructors are encouraged to use the course materials and apply them within their instructional activities, for example by integrating them into existing curricula and/or programmes.

If you encounter any difficulty or if you have any questions, please consult our help page.

The course’s materials are curated to help achieve the following learning objectives:

Explain the rationale for advancing green industry

The course offers a wide panorama of the main conceptual and empirical considerations within the current global green industrial policy debate along five modules, each addressing a specific set of questions:

Green industrial policy: Conceptual foundations

Strategic development of green industrial policy

Green industrial policy instruments

Green industrial policy and trade

Users who take the stand-alone online course obtain a Certificate of Completion upon passing the final quiz. Once the certification criteria are met, users can download the certificate under the “Certification” tab.

Responding to the need for building a critical mass of change agents, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) developed this course under the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE).

The materials contained in this course may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgment of the source is made. No use of these materials may be made for resale or for any other commercial purpose whatsoever without prior permission in writing from the PAGE Secretariat.