Focus development economics on industrialization

Development economics should deliberately re‑orient some of its intellectual capital from micro randomized trials to macro questions about how countries industrialize, build manufacturing capacity, and achieve sustained growth. That requires humility about what RCT‑style methods can answer and more plural, historical and institutional approaches to the big comparative puzzles (e.g., why Korea succeeded where Bolivia did not). — Shifting academic focus would change the evidence available to policymakers and could alter aid priorities, industrial policy, and long‑term poverty reduction strategies worldwide.