ARTNET on STI Policy is the knowledge platform on science, technology & innovation policy for sustainable development. It is a platform to share findings of academic research & their policy implications, reflect on current STI policy issues, and support research in developing countries to inform STI policies for researchers & policymakers in Asia-Pacific.

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On the eve of elections in India, farm loan waiver became one of the major election promises. According to some estimates, as a result of farm loan waivers, there is a likelihood that during fiscal 2018-2019, India’s fiscal deficit may widen to $16.17 billion. Furthermore, if all the states in India were to waive 50% of their farm debt, it would cost 1% of India’s GDP (in 2016-17 prices). The brief argues that the farm loan waivers are not the solution to farm crisis. During the year following loan waivers, small farmers lose out on three counts: lower access to formal loan, falling agricultural revenue because of higher informal loan cost, and a falling agricultural productivity. This has a wider implication on income distribution. Instead, to boost an increase in farmers’ income, the brief proposes interventions in the following areas: 1) building cold storage and warehouses, 2) linking domestic market with international markets, 3) a number of other supply-side interventions including infrastructural investment, and  4) improving financial literacy.

For the full publication by Nilanjan Banik please visit here. 

Mindful of the socio-economic impacts a free trade agreement (FTA) may have, the European Union (EU) since 1999 has adopted the practice of conducting a so-called Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) as an accompanying part of FTA negotiations. Currently, SIAs are being undertaken for the potential FTAs with Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

The ARTNeT e-Forum complements and enhances ARTNeT’s focus on advocacy, by hosting and sharing thoughts and ideas on trade, investment and development from members of the ARTNeT community. Read the full piece of Frieder Mecklenburg's thought here.

Our partner WTO has launched the WTO iLibrary on 20 September, a new dynamic research tool that brings together, for the first time, into one self-contained area all the WTO's key research material on global trade. WTO iLibrary has been developed in cooperation with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

For more information please visit here. 

At the UNCTAD World Investment Forum 2018 (22-26 October, Geneva), ESCAP, in collaboration with International Institute for Trade and Development (ITD), will organize a break-out session on IIA Reform and sustainable development.

It will review the recent developments, best practices and challenges related to IIAs in the Asia-Pacific region, in particular with regard to efforts under “Phase 2” of the reform process to modernize IIAs and investment promotion policies and enhance their sustainability by integrating SDGs in IIAs.

For more information please visit here. For participantion, you need to register for the Forum here. 

Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), an ARTNeT core institutional member, organised 2018 Public Policy Conference on Harnessing the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Creating Our Future Today on 19 Sep in Manila. These conferences have been organised annually since 2015 and are in the service of providing a platform for agents of multistakeholder groups to engage in multidisciplinary conversations on public policy issues. This year experts, government officials, business leaders, academia and representatives of civil cociety and NGOs met to deliberate on how the Philippines can harness the opportunities and manage the risks and challenges emerging from the fourth major industrial era. ARTNeT Secretariat was honoured by participating in the conference. 

For more details and recordings of the sessions please visit here. 

Our partner WTO invites contributions of original unpublished research papers for its upcoming book “Inclusive Trade: Spreading the benefits of openness more widely” The book will be edited by Marc Bacchetta (WTO) and Alexei Kireyev (IMF), and is expected to be published by Cambridge University Press in 2019. The book will take stock of the accumulated theoretical knowledge on inclusive trade, fill in the voids, and suggest policy applications. The book will draw on the world-wide research on inclusive trade across four dimensions – inclusive trade analytics, sectoral dimensions, policy advice and best practices, and the role of international cooperation. The book will combine rigorous analytics with an empirical orientation of interest to trade practitioners and a broader audience, including policymakers, parliamentarians, and academics. Contributions will be selected on a competitive basis and evaluated for originality, analytical rigor, and policy relevance.

For more information please visit here. 

The Internship Program from our partner ADB is a project-oriented learning opportunity for graduate students to gain experience through research assignments based on ADB’s current operational needs. 

For more information please visit here.

The MPA/ID Program is a rigorous, economics-centered, multi-disciplinary program designed to train the next generation of practitioners and policy makers in the challenging field of international development. The core curriculum includes doctoral-level courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, quantitative methods/econometrics, public sector management, institutions, democratic governance, and the practice of economic development. Electives are offered in areas ranging from negotiations to finance and environmental policy.

The MPA/ID Program offers unparalleled training for a professional career in international development. The mix of theoretical rigor with a practical approach has proven to be a winning combination in the professional world.

There is virtual info session on September 27. For more information please visit here.  

For more information from World Trade Institute about Graduate School of Economic Globalisation and Integration (PhD), Master of Advanced Studies in International Law and Economics (MILE), LL.M. in Trade and Investment Law and DAS in International Law and Economics (TRAIL+), Certificate of Advanced Studies and Diploma of Advanced Studies or Winter Academy and Summer Academy 2019, please visit here.

In collaboration with Université Laval in Canada, the Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP) is offering three online distance-learning courses from January 14 to April 12, 2019. The three courses are:
Course 1:  Policy Impact Analysis
Course 2:  Computable General Equilibrium Modelling
Course 3:  Measuring and Alleviating Poverty and Inequality
On successful completion of each course, Université Laval will provide students with an official transcript. Université Laval will award a graduate microprogram diploma to students who complete all three courses within a maximum of three years.

For more information please visit here. 

Connectivity infrastructure has been crucial to enhancing trade and economic relations across countries in the world. Over the two decades, economic relations between India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-member states have grown considerably due, in large part, to improved land and sea connectivity. In recent times, both Indian and ASEAN leaders have been stressing on the need to improve aviation connectivity among their countries. This paper analyses passenger and freight traffic between India and ASEAN through ASEAN airlines using data from the Directorate of Civil Aviation in India. The observations and other evidence are used to reflect on the current stress on building air connectivity between India and the ASEAN-member countries, the impending implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and in facilitating tourism, trade and commerce through aviation.

For the full publication from our member iSAS please visit here.

Through global value chains, low-income and least developed countries can integrate into the global trading system, which offers significant opportunities for economic growth, job creation, and learning by exporting. However, participation in global value chains does not automatically result in upgrading and social and environmental sustainability. This report summarises the key findings of ICTSD’s Inclusive Economic Transformation research programme on global value chains. In a series of case studies, the programme examined tea value chains in Kenya, Nepal, and Sri Lanka; apparel and textile value chains in Ethiopia, Lesotho, and Myanmar; the fisheries value chain in Cambodia; and the business process outsourcing sector in Kenya. Analysis of these value chains reveals cross-cutting trends that form the foundation of policy recommendations to ensure value chain production is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

For the full publication please visit here. 

Mr. Prakash Singh, Assistant Professor at Centre for Regional Trade, Department of Comerce, Government of India. Mr. Singh attended ARTNeT training on 22-24 December 2015 and keep in touch with ARTNeT community since. He recently completed his PhD research defend on Access to Finance and Firm Dynamics: Cross Country Evidence in Delhi University. The thesis investigates the role of access to finance at firm level on firm productivity, export decision and innovation decision. It also tries to identify the role of government ownership of bank in shaping the relationship. 

ARTNeT congratulates Mr. Singh's achievement and wish all members keep in touch with ARTNeT community!

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The ARTNeT Secretariat welcomes submissions of policy briefs, working papers, book reports, research reports, and book reviews by ARTNeT members, partners and collaborators. For any submission to be considered, the editorial 'Guidelines for Submissions to the ARTNeT Working Papers Series' must be adhered to.

If you are an ARTNeT member, partner or collaborator and would like to publicise your publications, research or events in the next newsletter, please e-mail us at artnetontrade@un.org.