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The document analyzes the impact of the Trump administration's 'reciprocal tariffs' on the Global South, specifically Africa, and argues that these policies signal the end of preferential market access under AGOA. It suggests that African nations should respond by rerouting trade through the AfCFTA and BRICS, implementing targeted import substitution industrialisation, and creating collective bargaining platforms to negotiate with external powers.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ), in partnership with SECTION27 and the Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR), conducted a project to bridge the gap between economics and human rights in South Africa. The report identifies systemic barriers, such as the lack of a shared language and the tendency of mainstream economics to ignore social objectives, while highlighting the potential for human rights to provide a normative framework for challenging economic orthodoxies. Key activities included publishing a peer-reviewed article on Human Rights Impact Assessments, producing advocacy factsheets based on UN recommendations, and hosting a multi-stakeholder convening. The findings suggest that moving beyond budget-focused advocacy toward systemic economic policy analysis and progressive jurisprudence can empower social movements and hold governments accountable for socio-economic rights.

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 paper argues that renewable energy value chains (REVCs) often replicate existing global inequalities, where Global South countries are relegated to low-value-added activities like mineral extraction while Global North countries capture high-value R&D and manufacturing. By applying a 'social reproduction lens'—which examines the intersection of paid and unpaid work and the organization of everyday life—the authors highlight how these structural asymmetries, combined with the 'feminisation of informality,' create barriers to gender equity and sustainable livelihoods. The proposed framework consists of three dimensions: global distribution of value, work and livelihoods, and ecological justice. It emphasizes that a 'just transition' requires moving beyond individual capabilities to address systemic issues such as 'ecologically unequal exchange,' where the Global North appropriates land, labour, and materials from the South. The document concludes with an assessment matrix to guide policymakers in creating high-quality, formal jobs that are compatible with the social reproduction needs of marginalized groups.

The report examines Kenya's renewable energy policy landscape, noting that while the country has achieved high renewable energy generation (over 90%), there are significant gaps in local manufacturing capacity and social inclusivity. It highlights a dependency on imported technology for solar and wind components and identifies a disconnect between high-level policy ambitions—such as the 'Buy Kenya, Build Kenya' strategy—and the actual capabilities of local medium enterprises. The document also notes that women remain underrepresented in technical roles and that the energy sector is characterised by high levels of casualised labour, which undermines the goal of decent work.

The report provides a critical scan of South Africa's renewable energy policies, highlighting a tension between the rapid liberalisation of the electricity market to solve the energy crisis and the goal of achieving a 'just transition'. While the country has expanded its solar and wind capacity and introduced frameworks like the South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM), the authors argue that inconsistent application of local content requirements and a lack of enforceable decent work standards have undermined industrial localisation and equitable employment. The analysis emphasizes that the current shift toward private investment risks creating 'low-carbon poverty' if not coupled with targeted support for SMMEs, women, and vulnerable rural communities facing energy poverty.

Nepal's textile and clothing exports, particularly ready-made garments and hand-knotted wool carpets, remain key revenue sources despite structural obstacles like high logistics costs and labor shortages. While the sector has survived through niche branding and LDC preferential market access, the impending loss of LDC status threatens to increase tariffs and tighten rules of origin. The authors argue that the government should replace inefficient ad valorem subsidies with investments in market information, business development, and inter-institutional coordination to maintain competitiveness.

Nepal's textile and clothing sector, particularly ready-made garments and hand-knotted wool carpets, remains a key export source despite structural limitations and declining manufacturing value added. Competitiveness is currently sustained by unique craftsmanship, niche branding, and LDC-based preferential market access. However, the sector faces significant hurdles, including high logistics costs due to its landlocked status, skilled labor shortages, and low productivity, with unit costs estimated to be at least 25% higher than competitors like Bangladesh. The upcoming LDC graduation threatens to increase tariffs and tighten rules of origin, potentially reducing garment exports by 13.3%. The authors argue for a shift in policy from ad-valorem subsidies toward market intelligence, business development services, and improved inter-ministerial coordination, citing Ethiopia's export coordination model as a potential example for success.

The author argues that a paradigm shift is occurring in international trade, moving away from the 'establishment' view of globalization as a tool for economic efficiency toward a 'multi-purpose trade policy.' This new approach integrates objectives like sustainability, resilience, and security directly into trade goals. However, this shift creates significant national challenges—including the difficulty of balancing incommensurable goals and overcoming institutional silos—and international tensions, as states increasingly prioritize unilateral action over World Trade Organization (WTO) norms. While developed nations like the US and EU lead this trend, developing nations remain skeptical of certain goals, such as labor standards, while viewing others, like food security, as long-standing priorities.

The document examines the evolution of industrial policy in the digital age, using Kenya as a primary case study to illustrate the risks of 'industrial thinness.' It argues that while Kenya has successfully integrated into global digital service markets, the lack of national control over data and algorithmic infrastructure leads to a form of informational dependency similar to the 'resource trap.' The authors emphasize that digital transformation must integrate decent work standards and data sovereignty to prevent the reproduction of extractive economic models. The paper calls for coordinated national, regional (via the AfCFTA), and multilateral actions to ensure that digital dividends are captured locally rather than exported to global platform monopolies.

The paper contends that traditional industrial policy is outdated because it focuses almost exclusively on manufacturing, despite services accounting for approximately two-thirds of global GDP. It proposes a 'service-led' industrial policy based on five pillars: infrastructure, investment/FDI, human capital, regulatory quality, and connectivity. The author highlights that services offer developing economies a more inclusive and sustainable path to growth due to lower capital intensity and smaller minimum scales for global competitiveness. Furthermore, the document notes that the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) provides governments with more policy space for experimentation compared to the stricter rules governing goods.

The author argues that traditional industrial policy is overly focused on manufacturing and must be redesigned for a services-led economy. Services now represent two-thirds of global GDP and act as critical inputs for all sectors. The paper proposes five pillars for a services-oriented policy: infrastructure, foreign direct investment, human capital, regulatory quality, and digital/physical connectivity. It highlights that developing economies can leverage services due to lower capital intensity, smaller scale requirements, and lower carbon footprints. Furthermore, the author notes that the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) provides governments with more policy space for experimentation than the rules governing goods.

The paper examines the evolution of industrial policy from physical factories to digital platforms, using Kenya as a primary case study. It argues that while Kenya has successfully integrated into global digital supply chains—becoming a major exporter of digital labor—it suffers from 'industrial thinness' because it lacks control over the data and algorithms that drive value. The authors contend that without robust data governance, labor protections, and regional cooperation, digitalization in low- and middle-income countries risks replicating extractive resource patterns. They advocate for a coordinated approach linking trade, labor, and industrial policies to ensure a 'just transition' and national value capture.

The IISD Economic Law and Policy program provides technical support, data, and analysis to policy-makers and businesses to align public and private investment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The program focuses on finance, trade, government procurement, and industrial policy, with specific emphasis on agricultural and mining investments in developing countries. Key initiatives include the Annual Forum of Developing Country Investment Negotiators and the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development, aimed at building the capacity of officials in Africa, Asia, and Latin America to negotiate sustainable treaties and contracts.

The document analyzes how contemporary industrial policies—focused on green transformation, digital transition, and strategic autonomy—conflict with WTO rules established in the 1990s. It details specific frictions regarding subsidies, local content requirements, export restrictions, import duties, and technology transfer. The authors highlight that while no formal mandate for new rules exists, informal dialogues and structured discussions on trade and environmental sustainability are serving as venues for members to explore reforms. The text emphasizes the need for the WTO's evolution to account for positive externalities of green subsidies and the specific constraints faced by developing countries and least-developed countries.

The document analyzes how modern industrial policies—focused on the green transition, digital transformation, and supply chain security—often conflict with WTO rules established in the 1990s. It details specific frictions regarding subsidies, local content requirements, export restrictions, tariffs, and technology transfer. The authors highlight that while formal mandates for new rules are absent, informal dialogues and the Structured Dialogues on Trade and Environmental Sustainability (SDTES) are serving as critical forums for members to share experiences and test ideas. The text argues that the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) represents a key opportunity to address these systemic misalignments and ensure that the future of the multilateral trading system reflects the priorities of both developed and developing nations.

The study finds that autocratic regimes are systematically associated with higher levels of industrialization, measured by railway freight, energy consumption, and manufacturing value added. The authors attribute this to three mechanisms: the narrow social bases of autocracies (which benefit industrial elites), heightened security concerns (driving military-industrial capacity), and the availability of coercive policy tools to override opposition to dislocating industrial reforms.

The document examines Australia's transition from a 'fixed price country' characterized by high protectionism and structural rigidities to a competitive, liberalized economy. It highlights the critical role of independent institutions like the Tariff Board in publicizing the costs of protection, the political leadership of the Hawke and Keating governments in implementing gradual tariff reductions, and the necessity of structural adjustment packages to maintain social cohesion. The author argues that the combination of economic crisis, transparent data, and political courage enabled Australia to dismantle its protectionist 'Australian Settlement Compact' and integrate into the global economy.

The document examines Brazil's trade policy from the post-WWII import-substitution era to the mid-2000s. While Brazil achieved significant trade surpluses and productivity gains following liberalization in the 1990s, the author argues that these successes are largely due to global economic conditions rather than current government strategy. The paper highlights the 'Brazil Cost'—a combination of bureaucracy, infrastructure deficits, and high taxes—as a primary barrier to competitiveness. It further critiques the current administration's tendency to prioritize geopolitical goals over commercial interests in trade negotiations and calls for a more strategic, transparent, and institutionally coordinated approach to trade reform.

The workshop report examines the challenges of regional integration in Southern Africa, noting that the linear European model of integration may not suit African contexts. Key obstacles identified include overlapping memberships in regional economic communities (RECs), the dominance of larger economies like South Africa, Egypt, and Kenya, and a heavy reliance on external donor funding. The report highlights the potential of the Tripartite FTA to resolve fragmentation and calls for a cost-benefit analysis of integration to align regional priorities with national interests.