SDG 09: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Dynamic Briefing Generated 04 October 2020 for Marco Antonio Gonzalez
SDG 09: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Last review on Tue 03 September 2019
About This dynamic briefing draws on the collective intelligence of the Forum network to explore the key trends, interconnections and interdependencies between industry, regional and global issues. In the briefing, you will find a visual representation of this topic (Transformation Map – interactive version available online via intelligence.weforum.org ), an overview and the key trends affecting it, along with summaries and links to the latest research and analysis on each of the trends. Briefings for countries also include the relevant data from the Forum’s benchmarking indices. The content is continuously updated with the latest thinking of leaders and experts from across the Forum network, and with insights from Forum meetings, projects communities and activities.
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Executive summary This Transformation Map provides a contextual briefing for one of the Sustainable Development Goals the United Nations’ framework for making real progress towards a more sustainable future by the year 2030 - by mapping related strategic issues and interdependencies. The content, including attached key issue headings and texts, is drawn from expert- and machine-curated knowledge on the World Economic Forum’s Strategic Intelligence platform; it is not a reproduction of the official text of the SDG. The UN introduces this Goal as follows: 'Investments in infrastructure – transport, irrigation, energy and information and communication technology – are crucial to achieving sustainable development and empowering communities in many countries. It has long been recognized that growth in productivity and incomes, and improvements in health and education outcomes require investment in infrastructure. Manufacturing is an important driver of economic development and employment. At the current time, however, manufacturing value added per capita is only US$100 in the least developed countries compared to over US$4,500 in Europe and Northern America. Another important factor to consider is the emission of Carbon Dioxide during manufacturing processes. Emissions have decreased over the past decade in many countries but the pace of decline has not been even around the world. Technological progress is the foundation of efforts to achieve environmental objectives, such as increased resource and energy-efficiency. Without technology and innovation, industrialization will not happen, and without industrialization, development will not happen. There needs to be more investments in high-tech products that dominate the manufacturing productions to increase efficiency and a focus on mobile cellular services that increase connections between people.'
1. A Just Transition
7. Transforming Markets
An idea spawned by unions has evolved into a global push for responsible environmental protection.
Measuring progress should involve more than just calculating GDP or profit growth.
2. Corruption and Infrastructure As much as one-fifth of global construction costs is wasted on the payment of bribes.
3. Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Innovation hubs have created competitive advantages.
4. Private Capital in Infrastructure The role of private capital has been both crucial and controversial.
5. Financing Sustainable Development Most people live in places committed to the Sustainable Development Goals, but funding remains elusive.
6. Responsible Innovation Technology is evolving quickly, and creating a risk of backlash.
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A Just Transition An idea spawned by unions has evolved into a global push for responsible environmental protection The concept of a “just transition” was originally developed by labour unions in the 1990s, to describe providing support for workers who had lost their jobs due to environmental protection policies. It has since morphed into a widely promoted means to secure shared prosperity, while also protecting the environment. In the lead-up to the Paris Agreement on climate change negotiated in 2015, unions and their allies successfully lobbied to get prominent text on a just transition into the agreement, according to a report published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in 2017. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals also reflect the agenda of just transition, according to the report, which noted positive, related developments including renewable energy being on track to account for half of the European Union’s energy supply by 2030, and the renewable energy industry’s employment of more than 8 million people worldwide as of 2015. In general, a just transition will shift employment out of carbon-intensive sectors, and create good, new alternative jobs - particularly in low-income areas (it also involves limiting increases for energy costs, in the interest of low-income families). Perceptions of the legitimacy of dramatically shifting to hightechnology, low-carbon, and environmentally-sustainable economic models will be influenced by the extent to which this is done in an inclusive way. This should be a key consideration not just for policy-makers, but also for business leaders, technology developers, and environmental experts. There is some evidence that policy-makers in different countries have started taking this factor into account as they make efforts to transition economies. For example, China spent the equivalent of about $3.4 billion in 2017 on resettling nearly 400,000 workers who had been laid off due to government efforts to reduce the country’s steel and coal production capacity, as part of broader efforts to deal with supply gluts in each sector. In addition, in 2016, the Canadian government announced that as part of its accelerated phasing out of traditional coal power it would work with provinces and labour organizations to ensure that affected workers are successfully included in the transition to a low-carbon economy. Related insight areas: Future of Economic Progress, Values, Sustainable Development, China, Global Governance, Mining and Metals, Workforce and Employment, Canada, Education and Skills
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Latest knowledge In Depth News
RAND Corporation
In Quest of Data-Based Solutions for A Sustainable Future
After Hurricane Maria 30 September 2020
01 October 2020 Following the 2017 hurricane season, the Federal Emergency Management Agency requested a review of Puerto Rico's hurricane damage and recovery needs. This report summarizes the resulting cross-sector analysis of history, conditions, and needs.
More than 2,000 participants from the data user and producer communities will discuss in the first-ever fully virtual UN World Data Forum, from October 19-21, some of the greatest data challenges in our fast-changing world. They will identify innovative solutions to intensify cooperation on data for sustainable development. Renew the urgent call for more and better funding for data. “In a world wracked by COVID-19, we need data-based solutions to guide our way to a sustainable future,” said Francesca Perucci, Assistant Director of UN DESA’s Statistics Division.
International Crisis Group
Watch List 2020 – Autumn Update 30 September 2020 Every year Crisis Group publishes two additional Watch List updates that complement its annual Watch List for the EU, most recently published in January and May 2020. These publications identify major crises and conflict situations where the European Union and its member states can generate stronger prospects for peace. The Autumn Update of the Watch List 2020 includes entries on Afghanistan, Colombia, Kosovo-Serbia, Lebanon and Somalia.
United Nations Environment
Historic UN Summit on Biodiversity sets stage for a global movement toward a green recovery from COVID19 01 October 2020
Asian Development Bank
New York, 30 September 2020 — Recognizing that the continued deterioration and degradation of the world’s natural ecosystems were having major impacts on the lives and livelihoods of people everywhere, world leaders called for increased resolve to protect biodiversity at the UN today. A record number of countries - nearly 150 countries and 72 Heads of State and Government addressed the first ever Summit held on….
Assessing the Impact of the United States–People’s Republic of China Trade Dispute Using a Multiregional Computable General Equilibrium Model 30 September 2020 ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF THE UNITED STATES– PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA TRADE DISPUTE USING A MULTIREGIONAL COMPUTABLE GENERAL EQUILIBRIUM MODEL Elisabetta Gentile, Gen Li, and Mahinthan Joseph Mariasingham 620 September 2020 ADB ECONOMICS WORKING PAPER SERIES ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK ADB Economics Working Paper Series Assessing the Impact of the United States– People’s Republic of China Trade Dispute Using a Multiregional Computable General Equilibrium Model Elisabetta Gentile, Gen Li, and Mahinthan Joseph Mariasingham No. 620 | September 2020 Elisabetta Gentile (egentile@adb.org) is an economist in the Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department (ERCD), Asian Development Bank (ADB). Gen Li (li.gen@nies.go.jp) is a research assistant at the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan.
World Resources Institute
4 Questions About China's New Climate Commitments 30 September 2020 President Xi Jinping's announcement at the UN that China intends to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and reach carbon neutrality before 2060 is one of the most significant signs of progress on tackling climate change since the 2015 Paris Agreement. Here are answers to four key questions about it. Project Syndicate
A Cool New Energy-Efficiency Policy 30 September 2020 A single change in our approach to energy efficiency can enable more people around the world to stay cool, benefit consumers, and flatten the curve on cooling-related energy demand and emissions. If we want climate-friendly AC, we need to leap toward the technology ceiling, rather than hover just above the technology floor.
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Corruption and Infrastructure As much as one-fifth of global construction costs is wasted on the payment of bribes Corruption continues to be a significant barrier to efforts to close a global infrastructure investment gap that is expected to reach $435 billion a year by 2040 in terms of road transportation, and $164 billion a year in terms of energy systems, according to the Global Infrastructure Hub. According to research published in the journal Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice in 2018, between 2009 and 2014 corruption inflated the price of infrastructure projects by an average of between 30% and 35% in high-corruption-risk regions of Europe. According to a report published by the U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre, the amount of construction costs lost to bribe payments varies between 5% and 20% (or even higher) globally. While the high cost of corruption makes it difficult for infrastructure to be developed in new markets, initiatives aimed at addressing this issue are being developed. For example, the World Economic Forum’s Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI) works with business leaders, other international organizations, and governments to address corruption, transparency, and emerging-market risks. One example of PACI’s work in the field is the “Building Foundations of Trust and Integrity” project, which examined how developing trust for public-private cooperation could help address corruption in Latin America - using Mexico as a case study. The project convened workshops and meetings in Mexico and engaged with international business leaders, and made recommendations including the development of a digital tool for sharing corruption-related news and data. A multi-stakeholder approach is needed in order to tackle corruption, and significantly bring down the cost of infrastructure projects by enabling developers to more efficiently allocate capital and deliver services quickly, safely, and cheaply. For countries like Mexico, a great deal is at stake; according to a PACI report published in 2017 detailing the “Building Foundations of Trust and Integrity” project, when corruption takes resources from the public purse, basic services are not provided for the general population and instead are funnelled to corrupt officials and businesses. According to the report, once a system is corrupted in this way it perpetuates inequality, leading to decreased trust and even more corruption in a vicious cycle. Related insight areas: Financial and Monetary Systems, Civic Participation, Corruption, Values, Public Finance and Social Protection, Illicit Economy, Institutional Investors, Agile Governance, Justice and Law, Global Governance, Private Investors, Corporate Governance
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Latest knowledge Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania - Knowledge@Wharton
Harvard Kennedy School - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
How Gender Lens Investing Is Gaining Ground
To Boldly Remember Where We Have Already Been
02 October 2020
28 September 2020
A new report from the Wharton Social Impact Initiative and Catalyst at Large finds a dramatic increase in gender lens investing over the last few years, a strong indication that the financial sector is working to balance a legacy of lopsided investments.
To compete and thrive in the 21st century, democracies, and the United States in particular, must develop new national security and economic strategies that address the geopolitics of information. In the 20th century, market capitalist democracies geared infrastructure, energy, trade, and even social policy to protect and advance that era’s key source of power—manufacturing. In this century, democracies must better account for information geopolitics across all dimensions of domestic policy and national strategy. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how China’s new power is reaching Europe, the challenges that it poses, and the European responses to this new reality. This process has to be examined in the context of the current strategic competition between China and the U.S. and its reflection on the transatlantic relationship.
The New Humanitarian
Conflict in the Caucasus, Venezuelan venting, and non-profit NDAs: The Cheat Sheet 02 October 2020 A weekly read to keep you in the loop on humanitarian issues. Project Syndicate
Europe’s World-Lagging Universities Need Increased Funding
Asian Development Bank
The Bond Market in Hong Kong, China: An ASEAN+3 Bond Market Guide Update
01 October 2020 Brexit has revealed a neglected truth that is highly inconvenient to European policymakers: the European Union’s remaining universities are nowhere to be found at the top of world rankings. Unfortunately, EU officials appear to have no interest in acknowledging the problem, much less addressing it.
24 September 2020 THE BOND MARKET IN HONG KONG, CHINA AN ASEAN+3 BOND MARKET GUIDE UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2020 ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK THE BOND MARKET IN HONG KONG, CHINA AN ASEAN+3 BOND MARKET GUIDE UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2020 ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO license (CC BY 3.0 IGO) © 2020 Asian Development Bank 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City, 1550 Metro Manila, Philippines Tel +63 2 8632 4444; Fax +63 2 8636 2444 www.adb.org Notes: ADB recognizes "China" as the People's Republic of China; “Hong Kong” as Hong Kong, China; and “Macau” as Macau, China. More detailed information on the Government Green Bond Programme and the underlying Green Bond Framework may be accessed via the website of the Government Green Bond Programme. Recent major developments are considered those that occurred in the Hong Kong bond market since publication of the ASEAN+3 Bond Market Guide 2016: Hong Kong, China in November 2016. This report provides updates on the bond market in Hong Kong, China since the publication of the ASEAN+3 Bond Market Guide 2016: Hong Kong, China.
RAND Corporation
From Consensus to Conflict 01 October 2020 Russia might try to manipulate and divide U.S. voters via social media during the U.S. political campaign season of 2020. This first report in a series of four reviews research on foreign actors targeting local, state, and national elections. RAND Corporation
Building Back Locally 30 September 2020 In Puerto Rico's post-hurricane reconstruction, municipal governments face significant responsibility. The authors recommend ways to target government and other resources where they are needed most to help municipal reconstruction efforts.
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Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Innovation hubs have created competitive advantages As global competition becomes increasingly innovationdriven, a vibrant innovation environment can provide a critical advantage. Silicon Valley, Tel Aviv, and Berlin all illustrate the necessary elements of a successful ecosystem: universities and public research labs that not only generate cutting-edge knowledge but also facilitate commercialization through licensing or spinoffs; experienced angel investors and early-stage venture capital firms; large, dynamic companies that are willing to work with startups both by providing corporate venture funding and by buying these smaller firms’ products and services; and a cultural context in which failure is widely accepted. Policies that help protect intellectual property rights are also critical, as are efficient bankruptcy laws - in order to facilitate serial entrepreneurship. Where critical elements are missing or underdeveloped, government participation may help fill the gaps - in the form of co-funding schemes to stimulate angel investing, and public subsidies for incubators and startup accelerator programs. In the past, establishing a geographically-focused ecosystem was the preferred strategy for supporting entrepreneurship. In more recent years, however, digitalization has fundamentally changed and expanded the ways that entrepreneurs, firms, governments and academic institutions in different locales can interact.
Related insight areas: Public Finance and Social Protection, Digital Communications, Education and Skills, Innovation, The Digital Transformation of Business, Workforce and Employment, Geo-economics, Private Investors, Fourth Industrial Revolution, Justice and Law, Cities and Urbanization, Real Estate
Socio-economic and technological trends have been driving a complete redrawing of the entrepreneurship landscape. Services-based economies and technology-based ventures have become prominent, spawning new types of work and new forms of organization. This is restructuring existing entrepreneurial ecosystems, and driving a need for new digital tools and resources - as data increasingly serves as a crucial bedrock for entrepreneurs that creates an enabling environment for them much in the same way that railways, roads, and shipping ports facilitated the Second Industrial Revolution that began in the 19th century. Online platforms now provide entrepreneurs with access to talent, networks, knowledge, and capital, regardless of their location. These platforms play a crucial role in reshaping local and global entrepreneurial ecosystems, and in levelling the playing field for entrepreneurs everywhere. More generally, digitalization can help augment and catalyse government and private sector initiatives aimed at creating a more holistic global entrepreneurial ecosystem, as it enables more sharing, learning and access at a massive scale and at a lower unit cost per transaction, and as it connects local and regional entrepreneurial ecosystems across the world.
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Latest knowledge Business and Human Rights Resource Centre
MIT Sloan Management Review
ISHR publishes information on how to engage with UN Treaty Bodies in Spanish
Disrupted and Stronger: Looking In and Looking Out 01 October 2020
02 October 2020 In the span of two short months, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic triggered the closure of more than 100,000 small businesses in the U.S. and put a staggering 7.5 million small companies at risk of shutting down . In addition, many professionals around the world have experienced disruption in both their work and personal lives. For example, the sudden shift from face-to-face to remote work arrangements, coupled with the added challenge of child care and homeschooling responsibilities, has put strain on many working families. As a mother and as a social scientist, not only have I experienced this disruption up close myself, but I have also had the unique opportunity to study how others are dealing with the challenges that the pandemic has brought into their lives — at work and beyond.
Are you a human rights defender from a Spanish-speaking country? Do you want to learn how to engage with UN Treaty Bodies? In either case, we’re happy to announce the launch of new content on the ISHR Academy!. Bocconi Knowledge
Optimists Are the Salt of the Earth. And Salt Can Burn the Roots of Innovation 02 October 2020 Overly optimistic entrepreneurs are unable to revise expectations after negative feedback, according to a study on 205 Spanish entrepreneurs. They tend thus to invest in too many projects to the detriment to innovation effectiveness.
Social Europe The Conversation
Industry 4.0: the transformation of work? – Hartmut Hirsch-Kreinsen
How businesses need to get creative if they want to survive coronavirus – and any other crisis in future
01 October 2020 It is widely believed that the new digital technologies are opening up completely new potential applications, with social and economic consequences no less than disruptive. In the public debate, this is linked on the one hand to fears of massive job losses, the discounting of qualifications and far-reaching control over workers. On the other hand, digitalisation is envisaged as facilitating innovative work design and decent working conditions, or ‘new work’.
01 October 2020 Walk around any town or city this autumn and you will find a range of shuttered businesses next door to others which have continued to operate during the pandemic. Some have responded rapidly with agility and creativity throughout 2020, enabling them to keep going and even excel at what they do. What does it actually mean to be creative in these challenging times? How do some businesses succeed while others fail? The truth is we have all been living in a “ VUCA ” world for some time – a world filled with volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.
INSEAD Knowledge
How Netflix Finds Innovation on the Edge of Chaos 30 September 2020 How did a DVD-by-mail company transform itself into a leading global entertainment brand? By rejecting mediocrity, embracing negative feedback and turning hierarchy on its head.
9 SDG 09: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Briefing, October 2020
Private Capital in Infrastructure The role of private capital has been both crucial and controversial Finding private sources of financing to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, including the goal of developing reliable and sustainable infrastructure, has been a priority at least since 2015 - when the UN released its Addis Ababa Action Agenda emphasizing the importance of blending public with private capital to fund development. Private financing has steadily flowed into public infrastructure projects; according to the World Bank, in developing economies alone there was nearly $1.8 trillion in private sector investment made in infrastructure between 1990 and the first half of 2018. However, after experiencing high-profile failures, many countries that had once enthusiastically embraced the public-private financing model dismantled or seriously reconsidered their programs. In Southern Europe, for example, governments that drew private co-financing for infrastructure over the past decade later got stuck with the bill when the infrastructure failed to generate sufficient revenue, according to a podcast published in 2018 by Wharton finance professor Joao Gomes. The scrutiny placed on private sector involvement in financing and managing public infrastructure as a result of such failures has mirrored a rising suspicion of globalization and multinational corporations more generally.
Related insight areas: Banking and Capital Markets, Institutional Investors, Agile Governance, Civic Participation, Private Investors, Public Finance and Social Protection, Corruption, Development Finance, United Kingdom, Insurance, Sustainable Development
Many scandals have also illustrated the dangers of poor oversight and regulation of public-private partnership schemes. In 2018, the United Kingdom did away with public-private partnerships, for example, following the collapse of construction firm Carillion - which resulted in project delays and hundreds of millions of pounds in costs for taxpayers. Similar issues are causing a re-evaluation of programs even in countries where the model had been deemed successful, including Australia and Canada, and are forcing countries more generally to reconsider public-private partnerships as a means to alleviate pressure on stretched public finances. Many governments, traditionally tasked with financing infrastructure, are dealing with growing liabilities ranging from high social-security and healthcare-related costs in countries with ageing populations, to costs related to providing education and jobs in countries with young, rapidly growing populations. As a result, private financing will almost certainly be required in order to close yawning infrastructure development gaps without also sacrificing crucial government programs. Winning greater public buy-in to the concept of public-private partnership programs will therefore be crucial.
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Latest knowledge Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)
German Development Institute
United Russia’s Image Problem: Revamping the ‘Nasty Party’ Before 2021
The transition towards a green economy and its implications for quality infrastructure
02 October 2020
29 September 2020
Russia’s September regional elections were a litmus test of United Russia’s support. While most seats were secure, it seems likely the party is headed for a ‘rebrand’, ahead of the State Duma elections in 2021. Download the Article (PDF) Regional elections were held on 11–13 September in 18 regions across Russia, to select regional governors and the heads of some municipal councils. While most of the incumbent United Russia (UR) candidates retained their seats, the growing role of the Kremlin-affiliated All-Russia People’s Front (ONF), and the encroachment of opposition activists on some regional administrations, might have repercussions for the upcoming State Duma elections in 2021. UR’s Declining Ratings UR’s image has been dealt a series of blows in recent years.
This study contributes to understanding the essential link between quality infrastructure (QI) and an effective transition towards a green economy. It explores green technologies diffusion in developing countries and what QI investments are needed to support, and benefit from, this green transition. World Economic Forum
Geopolitics and investment in emerging markets after COVID-19 25 September 2020 The pandemic has opened up an opportunity for international investors and companies to invest in infrastructure in emerging markets. World Economic Forum
South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)
This is how we can get real value from infrastructure
COVID-19’s impact on South Africa’s relations with Africa
25 September 2020
02 October 2020 Infrastructure must be made sustainable, secure and resilient, and must work within the planet’s means. This is how this can be achieved.
South Africa’s Africa agenda has always been central to its foreign policy. Australian Institute of International Affairs
The US-Thailand Security Alliance: Growing Strategic Mistrust 01 October 2020 The Trump administration’s strategy to engage with Thailand appears to be counterproductive. Trump saved the Thai authoritarians, but has weakened the USThailand security alliance amid the rising Chinese influence. Project Syndicate
The Need for a Great Transformation 01 October 2020 Though investments in renewable energy and green infrastructure are necessary for building a sustainable world, they are not sufficient. Barring an overhaul of the global financial and monetary system, humanity will keep stumbling from one massive, destabilizing crisis to the next.
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Financing Sustainable Development Most people live in places committed to the Sustainable Development Goals, but funding remains elusive More than 80% of the global population lives in a country that is dedicated to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, outlined in 2015 in order to help put the world on a more sustainable footing by 2030. However, 70% of these national SDG-integration plans fail to clearly identify a financing strategy that includes both private and public funds. Greater public-private cooperation is key to reversing this trend, and addressing an estimated $2.5 trillion annual gap between what is on hand and what will be needed to achieve the goals in developing countries. More capital needs to be mobilized through innovative methods like blended finance (combining funds from public and private investors in a way tailored to each party’s risk appetite) and aggregation vehicles (which pool multiple development projects into a single investment vehicle) - and it needs to be better allocated. Urgent action is necessary at the country level in particular, where key public and private stakeholders have an opportunity to work together and establish benchmarks for success. It is important to enable the people behind existing countrylevel efforts to exchange ideas, share best practices, and explore ways to cooperate in the future. The efforts of developing countries in particular will be crucial for the achievement of the SDGs - not least in terms of establishing the healthy regulatory environment, rule of law, and political stability necessary to create an attractive investment climate. United Nations Integrated National Financing Frameworks have now been introduced in dozens of developing countries, in a bid to help governments there better identify funding gaps and develop strategies for financing the SDGs. According to a report published in 2019 by the Overseas Development Institute, the poorest of these countries may have to come up with an entirely new approach to tools like blended finance in order to bridge the nagging financing gap; while every $1 invested by multilateral development banks and development finance institutions in lower-middle-income countries mobilizes on average $1.06 in private financing, that figure falls to just $0.37 for low-income countries, according to the report. Related insight areas: Infrastructure, Social Innovation, Environment and Natural Resource Security, Institutional Investors, Development Finance, International Trade and Investment, Private Investors, Banking and Capital Markets
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Latest knowledge Oxford Review of Economic Policy
Rocky Mountain Institute
COVID-19 and public-sector capacity
Green Steel: A Multi-Billion Dollar Opportunity
02 October 2020
29 September 2020 The paper argues that to govern a pandemic, governments require dynamic capabilities and capacity— too often missing. These include capacity to adapt and learn; capacity to align public services and citizen needs; capacity to govern resilient production systems; and capacity to govern data and digital platforms.
Over the last 30 years, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions has been on the political agenda, with increasing emphasis. The post Green Steel: A Multi-Billion Dollar Opportunity appeared first on Rocky Mountain Institute .
Asian Development Bank
Project Syndicate
Office of the Special Project Facilitator’s Lessons Learned Batumi Bypass Road Project in Georgia
Why Biden Is Better Than Trump for the Economy 29 September 2020
01 October 2020 The presumption that Republicans are better than Democrats at economic stewardship is a longstanding myth that must be debunked. For all Americans who care about their and their children’s future, the right choice this November could not be clearer.
This publication focuses on the $228 million Batumi Bypass Road Project in Georgia as one of the Office of the Special Project Facilitator’s Lessons Learned series of case studies on ADB’s complaint management experience. Project Syndicate
The COVID-Climate Nexus 30 September 2020 America’s upcoming election will take place against the backdrop of a dreadful pandemic and mounting climate threats. On both counts, US voters must choose whether to bring back respect for science and sensible public policy, and an awareness that we live in an interconnected world. RAND Corporation
Developing Recovery Options for Puerto Rico's Economic and Disaster Recovery Plan 30 September 2020 This report summarizes the strategic planning process in support of the government of Puerto Rico in its development of a congressionally mandated recovery plan. World Economic Forum
How Germany and Costa Rica are putting nature at the heart of their recoveries 30 September 2020 Here's how governments around the world can maximise the economic opportunities that lie in nature – as examples from Costa Rica and Germany demonstrate.
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Responsible Innovation Technology is evolving quickly, and creating a risk of backlash The onset of Fourth Industrial Revolution has brought with it a rapid evolution of technology, creating tremendous opportunities but also new risks. Social structures and many of our previous assumptions are in a state of flux, as we ponder big questions about the use of data - in terms of ownership, quality, access, and use. This issue has been thrust into the public spotlight by repeated controversies, not least related to the approach of popular social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to publishing potentially disingenuous and harmful political advertising tailored to users’ personal data. In addition to curbing the use of data to spread of misinformation and disinformation, it is imperative to avoid creating technology-related global inequality. While inequality has actually been decreasing in many developing countries as digital tools increase financial inclusion in places with limited infrastructure, inequality has been worsening within high- and middle-income countries. In these places, labour-saving technology has begun to replace decently-paid blue collar jobs, as workers who once held those jobs are slotted into retail-related or other roles where the pay is typically lower. We as a society need to keep a close eye on this potential for technology to further exacerbate inequality (in the form of the digital divide separating those with internet access from those without, for example), reap environmental damage (in the form of carbon emissions related to proliferating data centres, for example), and aggravate social tensions (as has been the case with anger over rent increases related to rampant Airbnb rentals or job losses tied to car-sharing services like Uber). We need to ensure that technology actually improves rather than degrades human and environmental well-being. In response to this need, the concept of agile governance has become increasingly prevalent; it emphasizes policy-makers and regulators working together with private developers, industries, and civil-society organizations in order to exercise more responsible digital leadership, and to become able to more quickly adapt to changing circumstances. However, the risk of public backlash against technology remains high. More dialogue and cooperation among companies, regulators, investors, consumers, and workers will be necessary to earn and sustain public trust. Related insight areas: Social Innovation, Agile Governance, Inclusive Design, Fourth Industrial Revolution, Future of Economic Progress, Future of Mobility, Values, Innovation, Corporate Governance, Cities and Urbanization, Artificial Intelligence
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Latest knowledge Project Syndicate
South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)
The Perils of Big COVID Government in Asia
Building Africa’s renewable energy future: Recommendations for a just transition
01 October 2020 During a large and complex crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, government’s role naturally grows – and so do the risks of unproductive spending and abuses of power. That is why, as Asian economies seek to contain COVID19 and its economic impacts, they must also contain their own governments.
30 September 2020 To shed light on the course of African energy transition processes, this policy brief provides evidence from a comparative analysis of 34 African countries. We present a clear picture of promising policy frameworks and fruitful attempts to realise a higher level of energy justice. South Africa, Rwanda, Kenya, Mauritius, Ethiopia and Egypt may serve as good practice examples for other states currently aiming at a systemic energy transition. Our recommendations for AU-EU cooperation on renewables and a green economy bring in suggestions for further fostering this green paradigm shift through means of consultancy, capacity building and strategies for technology transfer.
Project Syndicate
The No DICE Carbon Price 30 September 2020 If there is a single issue that matters more than any other in the broader debate about climate change, it is how to price carbon dioxide emissions. The battle against catastrophic global warming will have already been lost if those advocating a low figure come out on top.
World Economic Forum
How investing in nature can help tackle the biodiversity and climate crises
United Nations Environment
Halving food waste and raising climate ambition: SDG 12.3 and the Paris Agreement
30 September 2020 The health crisis is a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of overlooking biophysical risks on human wellbeing, businesses and economies.
30 September 2020 Food loss and waste generate an estimated 8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions while using land and water resources needlessly and increasing pressure on biodiversity. Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 calls for a halving of food waste at retail and household level, and a reduction of food loss across the supply chain. Champions 12.3, a high-level coalition formed to deliver this strategic target, counts….
World Resources Institute
China and Big Business Give Climate Diplomacy a Kick-Start at UNGA and Climate Week 29 September 2020 The UN's 75th General Assembly last week offered a crucial moment for leaders to demonstrate global solidarity for a fairer, safer, stronger world amid the sweeping impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and a changing climate. United Nations Environment
Food loss and waste must be reduced for greater food security and environmental sustainability 29 September 2020 Rome/Nairobi/New York , 29 September 2020 – At the global event marking today the first International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and their partners urged everyone to do more to reduce food loss and waste or risk an even greater drop in food security and natural resources. Some 690 million people today are hungry and three….
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Transforming Markets Measuring progress should involve more than just calculating GDP or profit growth It is imperative that our current economic model is transformed in a way that enables growth to start being measured not just through economic and financial indicators, but also by using social, environmental, and governance benchmarks. Such a shift could mean that sustainability is rewarded - rather than penalized - while new opportunities are created for people who have historically been left behind. Over the past decade, attitudes towards the role of business in society have changed dramatically. One example: the decision made in early 2020 by BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, to demand more disclosure of environmental risks from companies while expanding its range of sustainable investment products. In addition, the number of “B Corporations,� or companies that have had their commitments to pursuing a social purpose in addition to profits verified, has grown from less than 700 as of 2014 to more than 3,000. Some of this change is undoubtedly due to efforts to avoid reputational risk, but it also signals a genuine response to urgent need. The Business Roundtable, an organization representing the CEOs of the biggest companies in the US, expanded its defined purpose for a company in 2019 to include serving all stakeholders, including communities and employees, in addition to just shareholders. Corporate leaders increasingly recognize that sustainably-run businesses can not only help eliminate reputational risk and shareholder anger, but also help to become better positioned to reap financial returns. According to an estimate published by the Business and Sustainable Development Commission in 2017, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - outlined in 2015 as a way to put the world on a more sustainable footing by 2030 - present $12 trillion in market opportunities in four economic systems: food and agriculture, cities, energy and materials, and health and well-being. The task now is to move beyond merely tacking corporate social responsibility onto a business and instead make it core function. This in turn should help make business strategies more forwardlooking - in terms of long-term stakeholder value as well as financial returns. It should also help trigger the broader, systemic change needed to become a more inclusive and sustainable society. Related insight areas: Advanced Manufacturing and Production, Justice and Law, Institutional Investors, Climate Change, Environment and Natural Resource Security, Fourth Industrial Revolution, Corporate Governance, Circular Economy, Future of Consumption
16 SDG 09: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Briefing, October 2020
Latest knowledge World Economic Forum
LSE Business Review
Why improving women's lives is the key to healthy ageing
Can Europe’s Green Deal be a growth strategy?
01 October 2020
30 September 2020
Older women are more exposed to social isolation and economic exclusion – but this can be changed earlier in their lives.
Watching the impactful images of San Francisco turned red by unprecedented wildfires was a reminder of how climate change must be reversed fast. At the same time, the coronavirus crisis has led to millions of job losses, bringing the economic recovery to the political fore. Politicians are framing Green Deals as the silver bullet to kill two birds with one stone.
Rocky Mountain Institute
Clean Energy Is Canceling Gas Plants 30 September 2020 While COVID-19 has disrupted many aspects of the economy and daily life in 2020, the trend toward clean electricity is still going strong. Renewable energy and storage technology costs continue to fall, with expanding adoption by utilities and other investors,... Read More The post Clean Energy Is Canceling Gas Plants appeared first on Rocky Mountain Institute .
Land Portal
Land Ownership and the Journey to Self-Determination 30 September 2020 This paper is an abridged version of an earlier scoping study entitled Sri Lanka Country Report: Land Watch Asia Study prepared in 2010 by the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement through the support of the International Land Coalition (ILC). It is also written as a contribution to the Land Watch Asia (LWA) campaign to ensure that access to land, agrarian reform and sustainable development for the rural poor are addressed in development. The LWA campaign is facilitated by the Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC) and involves civil society organizations in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka.
United Nations Environment
The future is circular: what biodiversity really means 30 September 2020 Subtle shifts aren’t good enough, says Doreen Robinson, Chief of Wildlife at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It’s time for a system-wide transformation. On the day of the UN Summit on Biodiversity, Robinson explains where we’ve gone wrong and how we can do better. .
Niskanen Center United Nations Environment
America Needs a Modern Electric Grid
No time to waste: using data to drive down food waste
29 September 2020
30 September 2020
Building electric transmission infrastructure will bring good jobs to every state it connects. It will also produce new economic opportunities, by linking areas rich in resources with the cities and factories that need them most. By joining together different regions, a nationally-connected power grid (a “ Macro Grid ,” ) is better able to handle local disruptions or periods of intense electricity demand — like we just witnessed during California’s recent heatwaves. And, at a time when businesses and consumers want to reduce carbon emissions and have access to clean alternatives, an expanded transmission system can help achieve those goals. .
Approximately one-third of all food produced for human consumption gets lost or wasted – around 1.3 billion tonnes every year. This amounts to roughly US$680 billion in developed countries and US$310 billion in developing countries, with a carbon footprint of about 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2, which is equivalent to 8 per cent of global greenhouse emissions. Cutting food waste is one of the most effective ways to reduce….
17 SDG 09: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Briefing, October 2020
References 1. A Just Transition
4. Private Capital in Infrastructure
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United Russia’s Image Problem: Revamping the ‘Nasty Party’ Before 2021, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), rusi.org COVID-19’s impact on South Africa’s relations with Africa, South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), saiia.org.za The US-Thailand Security Alliance: Growing Strategic Mistrust, Australian Institute of International Affairs, www.internationalaffairs.org.au The Need for a Great Transformation, Project Syndicate, www.projectsyndicate.org The transition towards a green economy and its implications for quality infrastructure, German Development Institute, www.die-gdi.de Geopolitics and investment in emerging markets after COVID-19, World Economic Forum, www.weforum.org This is how we can get real value from infrastructure, World Economic Forum, www.weforum.org
Watch List 2020 – Autumn Update, International Crisis Group, www.crisisgroup.org Assessing the Impact of the United States–People’s Republic of China Trade Dispute Using a Multiregional Computable General Equilibrium Model, Asian Development Bank, www.adb.org
5. Financing Sustainable Development
2. Corruption and Infrastructure
COVID-19 and public-sector capacity, Oxford Review of Economic Policy, academic.oup.com Office of the Special Project Facilitator’s Lessons Learned Batumi Bypass Road Project in Georgia, Asian Development Bank, www.adb.org The COVID-Climate Nexus, Project Syndicate, www.project-syndicate.org
How Gender Lens Investing Is Gaining Ground, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania - Knowledge@Wharton, knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu Conflict in the Caucasus, Venezuelan venting, and non-profit NDAs: The Cheat Sheet, The New Humanitarian, www.thenewhumanitarian.org Europe’s World-Lagging Universities Need Increased Funding, Project Syndicate, www.project-syndicate.org From Consensus to Conflict, RAND Corporation, www.rand.org
Developing Recovery Options for Puerto Rico's Economic and Disaster Recovery Plan, RAND Corporation, www.rand.org How Germany and Costa Rica are putting nature at the heart of their recoveries, World Economic Forum, www.weforum.org Green Steel: A Multi-Billion Dollar Opportunity, Rocky Mountain Institute, rmi.org Why Biden Is Better Than Trump for the Economy, Project Syndicate, www.project-syndicate.org
Building Back Locally, RAND Corporation, www.rand.org To Boldly Remember Where We Have Already Been, Harvard Kennedy School - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, www.belfercenter.org The Bond Market in Hong Kong, China: An ASEAN+3 Bond Market Guide Update, Asian Development Bank, www.adb.org
Acknowledgements
3. Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Cover and selected images throughout supplied by Reuters. Some URLs have been shortened for readability. Please follow the URL given to visit the source of the article. A full URL can be provided on request.
ISHR publishes information on how to engage with UN Treaty Bodies in Spanish, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, www.businesshumanrights.org Optimists Are the Salt of the Earth. And Salt Can Burn the Roots of Innovation, Bocconi Knowledge, www.knowledge.unibocconi.eu How businesses need to get creative if they want to survive coronavirus – and any other crisis in future, The Conversation, theconversation.com Disrupted and Stronger: Looking In and Looking Out, MIT Sloan Management Review, sloanreview.mit.edu Industry 4.0: the transformation of work? – Hartmut Hirsch-Kreinsen, Social Europe, www.socialeurope.eu How Netflix Finds Innovation on the Edge of Chaos, INSEAD Knowledge, knowledge.insead.edu
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