How to Shape Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Economies in the Developing World ─ Global, Regional, and Local Solutions

Economic growth has come largely at the expense of natural resource depletion and environmental degradation, and has not yet provided the basis for substantial reductions in economic and social inequality, which is why the concept of green growth aims to find ways to make growth compatible with environmental sustainability without neglecting the social dimension. What is needed for this to happen is institutional reform and good policies, which aim to get prices right and fix markets, address coordination failures and knowledge externalities, and assign property rights and prices to environmental services.
Inclusive green growth policies are difficult to design and, even in best case scenarios, no panacea for overcoming developing economies' structural shortcomings that have been excluding the poor from the benefits of growth. This raises several questions:
How to tailor inclusive green growth strategies to a country's specific circumstances, with an emphasis on maximizing local and immediate benefits for the poor?
How to implement policy changes and strategies in scenarios where groups that do not benefit from the adjustments make decided efforts to block reforms?

The conference will address cross-sectoral issues and aspects related to sustainable management of sectors like agriculture, industry, energy and transport; as well as the adoption of sustainable life styles reducing individual ecological footprints, equity concerns, and strategies for poverty eradication.
In particular, but not exclusively, we invite contributions (papers and projects) that provide answers to the following questions:

• What lessons can be learned from existing poverty reduction strategies about the scope for making social, economic and environmental objectives mutually reinforcing?

• What mix of regulatory, marked-based and informative instruments is needed to facilitate the transition towards green growth which is pro-poor and inclusive?

• Are there models of agriculture, which can sustainably meet increased demand for food, feed, fuel and fiber while respecting resource scarcities and the integrity of vital ecosystems?

• What are the technological and financing needs for a green economy transition in agriculture, one that includes and benefits smallholder farmers, agricultural laborers and food security?

• How can the international development community contribute to this?

• How to shape consumer behavior towards green societies in developing and emerging regions?

• How can business and policymakers work together to create a green and inclusive economy, and upscale green and inclusive employment and business models?

• How can green and inclusive growth be modeled?

In addition, the PEGNet Best Practice Award will be awarded for the fifth time to best practice in cooperation between researchers and practitioners. While plenary sessions focus on the conference theme, parallel sessions and Best Practice Award projects will be to all topics surrounding PEGNet's core theme, i.e. the nexus between poverty, equity and growth.