SID-Netherlands Report: Agriculture, Food Security, and Inclusive Growth

The report Agriculture, Food Security, and Inclusive Growth is a compilation of lectures and discussions organised in 2011 by SID Netherlands Chapter in cooperation with the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) and NCDO. It contains contributions by UN Special Rapporteur for the Right to Food Olivier de Schutter, Camilla Toulmin (Director of the International Institute of Environment and Development, Kevin Cleaver (Associate Vice-President of International Fund for Agricultural Development), and Andries du Toit (Director of the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies). Download: http://sidnl.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/sid_agriculture-food-security-inclusive-growth_booklet.pdf

Filed under: Africa, MDGs, Rural Economies, Value Chains, food, food security, inclusive growth, sid

Conference: Inspiring Clusters in the Beginning of the New Decade, 30-31 March 2011

Conference: Inspiring Clusters in the Beginning of the New Decade, 30-31 March 2011.

The Competitiveness Institute European Regional Conference on Inspiring Clusters in the Beginning of the New Decade, which will take place on 30-31 March 2011 in Tallinn, Estonia.

TCI European regional conference in 2011 will focus on how to improve the Cluster policies both on European, national and regional level and how to achieve excellence in cluster management. The conference will also provide a deeper insight into cluster development in Eastern and Central Europe being the first TCI conference in this region.

Filed under: Clusters, Economy, European Union, Value Chains

Standardisation should focus more on innovation

EU standardisation policy should focus more on product innovation and competitiveness, the European commission argued on Tuesday in a new policy paper. Standards and technical harmonisation can help speed-up the uptake of environmental technologies and liberalise trade in rapidly-growing markets, it said.

The commission’s policy paper outlines actions for a more market-led standardisation policy. Current standardisation models in Europe are ”called into question by challenges such as accelerated market cycles… and the trend towards global markets”, the paper says.

Standardisation is key to developing a European sustainable industrial policy and removing barriers to technological advances in ”lead markets” such as renewable energy, recycling, bio-based products and sustainable construction, the commission says. http://tinyurl.com/39gtas

Filed under: Clusters, Standardisation, Technology, Value Chains

Moving Toward Competitiveness: A Value-Chain Approach

Developing countries face tremendous opportunities for economic growth given economic liberalization worldwide, and rapid advancement and application of information and communications technologies. However, along with the many opportunities global network trade has to offer, firms in developing countries also face strong competitive pressures for greater efficiency and productivity to maintain market share or even survive. A strong business environment based on sound institutions and policies is a necessary basis for enhanced competitiveness of private firms that produce and deliver goods and services. When business environment constraints – inefficiencies and cost disadvantages – can be identified, policy makers have the opportunity to jumpstart economic reform processes that target priority areas along the product/service life cycle known as the value chain. This technical report outlines a pragmatic approach for analyzing value chain performance as the basis for identifying binding constraints to growth and competitiveness. This approach is intended to facilitate formulating a targeted reform agenda.
http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/fias.nsf/AttachmentsByTitle/MovingTowardCompetitiveness/$FILE/Value+Chain+Manual.pdf

Filed under: Development, Publications, Value Chains