CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE JUST ENERGY TRANSITION: Localisation, Decent Work, Small Medium and Micro Enterprise, and Sustainable Livelihoods Project

The document provides a conceptual framework for analyzing the 'Just Energy Transition' in three African countries, focusing on the localisation of renewable energy technologies. It utilizes the Global Production Networks (GPN) approach to examine the interplay between value creation, power dynamics, and embeddedness. The framework argues that for a transition to be 'just,' it must move beyond simple job creation to ensure 'social upgrading'—improvements in workers' rights, gender equity, and sustainable livelihoods. It specifically highlights the role of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) and the necessity of state-led industrial policy to overcome the dominance of multinational firms and the risks of 'adverse inclusion' in global value chains.

• The research defines localisation as a four-part effort to establish local manufacturing and assembly, increase local ownership, support local employment, and utilize domestic resources to supply local markets.
• A 'just transition' is framed as a struggle across four dimensions: between countries (addressing neocolonialism and resource outflow), for democratic ecosocialist states, for justice in the workplace (creating decent jobs), and for justice within households and communities (challenging patriarchal systems of social reproduction).
• The document argues that economic upgrading does not automatically lead to social upgrading; instead, it may result in 'adverse inclusion,' where participation in value creation reproduces poor or dangerous livelihoods.
• SMMEs in renewable energy production networks often face significant barriers to upgrading, including limited access to finance, as investors frequently prefer the lower risk profiles of established foreign firms.
• The framework emphasizes that the state must play an active role through industrial policy—including subsidies, tariffs, and local content requirements—because private actors are often unwilling to take the risks associated with ambitious localisation projects.
• Gender inequality in renewable energy networks is linked to the 'double burden' of unpaid social reproductive work and systemic barriers in STEM careers, such as hostile male-dominated work cultures and a lack of female mentors.
• The document identifies a risk where 'vertically specialised industrialisation'—focusing on small slices of the value chain—may lead to only low value-added activities like final assembly being localised, while high-value design remains with international firms.
• Worker power to achieve social upgrading is most effective when combined across four types: structural (placement in the system), associational (organisations), societal (civil society engagement), and institutional (lobbying and legal systems).

APA

Baloyi, B., Stefano, S., Franz, T., Kesar, S., Musonda, J., Hermanus, L., Kamanzi, B., Krinsky, J., Khoza, S., Molete, B., Onyango, J., Onyango, E. A., Ofori, C., Amuquandoh, P., Bosu, D., & Issacs, G. (n.d.). CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE JUST ENERGY TRANSITION: Localisation, Decent Work, Small Medium and Micro Enterprise, and Sustainable Livelihoods Project. Institute for Economic Justice. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Conceptual-Framework-Localising-the-Energy-Transition.pdf

Chicago

Baloyi, Basani, Sara Stefano, Tobias Franz, Surbhi Kesar, James Musonda, Lauren Hermanus, Brian Kamanzi, et al. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE JUST ENERGY TRANSITION: Localisation, Decent Work, Small Medium and Micro Enterprise, and Sustainable Livelihoods Project. Institute for Economic Justice, n.d. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Conceptual-Framework-Localising-the-Energy-Transition.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Baloyi |first1=Basani |last2=Stefano |first2=Sara |last3=Franz |first3=Tobias |last4=Kesar |first4=Surbhi |last5=Musonda |first5=James |last6=Hermanus |first6=Lauren |last7=Kamanzi |first7=Brian |last8=Krinsky |first8=Jezri |last9=Khoza |first9=Sandra |display-authors=etal |title=CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE JUST ENERGY TRANSITION: Localisation, Decent Work, Small Medium and Micro Enterprise, and Sustainable Livelihoods Project |publisher=Institute for Economic Justice |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Conceptual-Framework-Localising-the-Energy-Transition.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{baloyindconceptual, author = {Baloyi, Basani and Stefano, Sara and Franz, Tobias and Kesar, Surbhi and Musonda, James and Hermanus, Lauren and Kamanzi, Brian and Krinsky, Jezri and Khoza, Sandra and Molete, Boitumelo and Onyango, Joel and Onyango, Erica Atieno and Ofori, Charles and Amuquandoh, Prosper and Bosu, Daryl and Issacs, Gilad}, title = {{CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE JUST ENERGY TRANSITION: Localisation, Decent Work, Small Medium and Micro Enterprise, and Sustainable Livelihoods Project}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Conceptual-Framework-Localising-the-Energy-Transition.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }