Ian Fletcher is one of America’s foremost experts on the problems of free trade and the promise of industrial policy, predicting the demise of the former as early as 2007. He was Senior Economist for the Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) from 2010 to 2012 and is currently a member of its Advisory Board. (CPA is a nationwide grass-roots organization dedicated to fixing America’s trade and industrial policies and comprising representatives from business, agriculture, and labor. It is the only organization that represents exclusively American manufacturers, not the multinationals, and family farmers rather than Big Ag.) Prior to his time at CPA, he was a Research Fellow at the U.S. Business and Industry Council, an economist in private practice, and an IT consultant. His latest book, written with Marc Fasteau and entitled Industrial Policy for the United States: Winning the Competition for Good Jobs and High-Value Industries, was published by Cambridge University Press in January 2025. He was educated at Columbia University and the University of Chicago. He is married, has a daughter, and lives in San Francisco.
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Episode 421
Ian Fletcher
The Case for a New U.S. Industrial Policy | Ian Fletcher
Ian Fletcher is one of America’s foremost experts on the problems of free trade and the promise of industrial policy, predicting the demise of the former as early as 2007. He was Senior Economist for the Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) from 2010 to 2012 and is currently a member of its Advisory Board. (CPA is a nationwide grass-roots organization dedicated to fixing America’s trade and industrial policies and comprising representatives from business, agriculture, and labor. It is the only organization that represents exclusively American manufacturers, not the multinationals, and family farmers rather than Big Ag.) Prior to his time at CPA, he was a Research Fellow at the U.S. Business and Industry Council, an economist in private practice, and an IT consultant. His latest book, written with Marc Fasteau and entitled Industrial Policy for the United States: Winning the Competition for Good Jobs and High-Value Industries, was published by Cambridge University Press in January 2025. He was educated at Columbia University and the University of Chicago. He is married, has a daughter, and lives in San Francisco.
In Episode 421 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Ian Fletcher, one of America’s foremost experts on industrial policy, about the problems with free trade and how to revitalize the U.S. economy.
Ian and Demetri spend the first hour of the episode laying the foundation for the argument Fletcher and his co-author, Marc Fasteau, present in their book Industrial Policy for the United States: Winning the Competition for Good Jobs and High-Value Industries. This portion includes a comprehensive critique of free-market economics and a systematic exploration of the tools that can be deployed to build critical industries and ignite flywheels of innovation essential to the long-term success of a modern economy.
In the second hour, Kofinas and Fletcher examine international and historical examples of both successful and unsuccessful implementations of industrial policy, discussing what went right, what went wrong, and how those lessons can inform the development and implementation of a successful industrial policy for the United States in the 21st century. The conversation concludes with a series of policy recommendations for the White House and Congress.
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Ian Fletcher is one of America’s foremost experts on the problems of free trade and the promise of industrial policy, predicting the demise of the former as early as 2007. He was Senior Economist for the Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) from 2010 to 2012 and is currently a member of its Advisory Board. (CPA is a nationwide grass-roots organization dedicated to fixing America’s trade and industrial policies and comprising representatives from business, agriculture, and labor. It is the only organization that represents exclusively American manufacturers, not the multinationals, and family farmers rather than Big Ag.) Prior to his time at CPA, he was a Research Fellow at the U.S. Business and Industry Council, an economist in private practice, and an IT consultant. His latest book, written with Marc Fasteau and entitled Industrial Policy for the United States: Winning the Competition for Good Jobs and High-Value Industries, was published by Cambridge University Press in January 2025. He was educated at Columbia University and the University of Chicago. He is married, has a daughter, and lives in San Francisco.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
