Executive summary

In the digital age, a growing number of governments have adopted policies aimed at boosting growth through innovation and technological upgrading. The domestic economic fallout linked to the COVID-19 pandemic is leading countries to strengthen these policies. This report looks at those trends, and at how trade and the WTO fit into them. It shows that international cooperation could play a significant role in making countries’ pursuit of such goals more effective, while minimizing the negative spill-overs from national policies.