Trade & Industry Policy Strategies (TIPS) in partnership with the South African Research Chair in Industrial Development, based at the University of Johannesburg, and in association with the Green Economy Coalition (GEC), will be hosting its 2017 Annual Forum in June next year. The theme of the Forum is Industrialisation and Sustainable Growth.
Those wishing to contribute papers are invited to submit their title and abstracts of up to 500 words to Baba-Tamana Gqubule at TIPS via email to: [email protected]. Between 20 and 25 papers will be selected for development of final papers, which will then be presented at the conference. Abstract submissions should include full contact details of the authors. The flight and accommodation costs of a maximum of 15 presenters will be covered by TIPS (only one presenter per paper will be covered).
Aim of the conference
The conference aims to deepen the understanding of the opportunities and challenges of moving to a sustainable, notably low-carbon, industrial development path.
Context for the conference
In South Africa, the need to respond to sustainability challenges and seek opportunities in the transition to sustainable economic development can be traced back to the 1996 Constitution and the 1998 National Environmental Management Act (NEMA). Sustainability issues, primarily climate change, have since been progressively integrated into policy. The 2011 National Strategy for Sustainable Development (NSSD), the 2011 National Climate Change Response White Paper, Chapter 5 within the National Development Plan (NDP) and the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP) outline the need to restructure the economy to promote industrialisation and move towards a low-carbon and pro-employment development path.
Developing strategic and coherent sustainable growth strategies that consider the linkages between sustainability, notably climate change, and industrialisation requires significant further research and analysis. Moving towards a sustainable economy requires reflecting on the country’s path dependency in terms of economic structure and energy mix, and the existence of high-carbon emitting and energy-intensive industry.
Tackling sustainability challenges in South Africa and in the Southern African region requires, among other things, increased use of alternative energy sources, improved resource efficiencies, new technologies to reduce carbon emissions and environmental damage, and new socio-economic thinking. A sustainable future depends on financing these measures (including incentives), procurement procedures, localising technologies, and carbon offset processes. Taxes and penalties imposed on industry and users are also crucial considerations.
Understanding the challenges, trade-offs and pathways associated with implementing industrial policies aligned to sustainable development goals is needed. Furthermore, sustainability policies need to consider their interaction with socio-economic challenges to ensure that the impact of climate change and other environmental issues does not perpetuate and exacerbate inequitable outcomes. Furthermore, local industries, primarily the agriculture sector and the associated agro-processing industry, stand to be severely affected by climate change, with ripple effects on food security, jobs and industrial capacity.
The 2017 Forum will explore reconciling environmental and socio-economic imperatives within the South African and Southern African context.
Key Dates
- Abstracts submission: January 20th, 2017
- Abstracts selection and response to authors: Mid-February 2017
- Final papers submission: May 30th, 2017
Topics for the papers
Papers that explore related themes and broadly consider issues of industrial development will also be considered.
- Pathways to a sustainable economy, including sector-specific studies
- The interplay between industrial policy, trade policy and sustainability
- The financing of the transition (such as climate finance, incentives, fiscal policy)
- Inclusive green growth to address poverty, unemployment and inequality
- The water, energy, food nexus and sustainable growth
- Measures of progress to achieve sustainable growth
- Governance and sustainability