The Hidden Risks of Industrial Policy: When More Isn't Always Better

5th LSE Workshop on Political Economy of Turkey

European Institute, Contemporary Turkish Studies, School of Public Policy and Systemic Risk Centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science are jointly organising a workshop on the Political Economy of Turkey.
The workshop features a keynote speech by Professor Ufuk Akçiğit from the University of Chicago.
Professor Ufuk Akçiğit is the Arnold C. Harberger Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago. He is an elected Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, the Center for Economic Policy Research, and the Center for Economic Studies. He earned a BA in economics at Koc University in 2003 and a Ph.D. in economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2009.
As a macroeconomist, Akcigit’s research focuses on economic growth, technological creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, productivity, and firm dynamics. His work has been consistently published in top economics journals, cited in numerous policy reports, and featured in popular media. In his recent book, "The Economics of Creative Destruction," co-edited with John Van Reenen, he explores how technological innovation can drive growth and address challenges ranging from inequality to climate change. He is also the lead academic for the World Development Report 2024 published by the World Bank.
The contributions of Akcigit’s research have been acknowledged by the National Science Foundation with the CAREER Grant (one of NSF's most prestigious awards supporting early-career faculty), the Kaufmann Foundation's Junior Faculty Grant, and the Kiel Institute Excellence Award, among many other institutions. In 2019, Akcigit was honoured as the recipient of the Max Plank-Humboldt Research Award (endowed with 1.5 million euros and aimed at scientists with outstanding future potential). In 2021, he was awarded the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship and was named a Fellow of the Econometric Society. In 2022, he received the Sakip Sabanci International Research Award and Kiel Institute’s Global Economy Prize.