African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) – Responsible Natural Resources Economies (RNRE) programme
ACTS invites issue papers on the following thematic areas:
1. NATURAL CAPITAL / ECOSYSTEM ACCOUNTING & VALUATION FOR IMPROVED PUBLIC AND PRIVATE POLICIES, DECISION-MAKING AND PRACTICES
- Natural capital, biodiversity and / or ecosystem services assessment, accounting, and valuation at different scales (e.g. local, regional, nations, across international boundaries, multi-stakeholder, river catchment).
- Business and corporate uses and applications of natural capital / ecosystem accounting & valuation (e.g. impact assessment, decision-making, investment approval, financial and sustainability reporting, product development, supply chain management, environmental management plan, closure plan) for different industries (e.g. mining, agri-business, energy, transport, construction, financial services).
- The role of Big Data in natural capital / ecosystem accounting and valuation.
- Environmental (water, biodiversity, air quality) no-net-loss / no-net-impact / net-positive-impact discourses, frameworks, accounting models, governance models, opportunities and risks, costs and benefits for different industries, including for indirect impacts.
- Values, valuation and applications for pro-poor development policies and strategies.
2. SUSTAINABLE LAND-USE PLANNING AND DECISION-MAKING IN AFRICA
- Natural capital and ecological infrastructure mapping, restoration and stewardship.
- The role of natural capital and ecological infrastructure in the food – energy – water nexus.
- Models and tools for active stakeholder participation in land-use / project decision making, including disadvantaged communities.
- Sustainable and resilient cities, including but not limited to green or sustainable budgeting, taxation, planning, building and procurement.
- The role of institutions, policies, partnerships, incentives and disincentives.
- The political economy of land grabs, land laws and property rights in Africa
3. TRADE AGREEMENTS, FOREIGN INVESTMENTS AND CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY IN AFRICA
- Multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs); free trade agreements (FTAs); preferential trade agreements and their impacts on sustainable development in Africa; with particular reference to US-Africa, EU-Africa, China-Africa and intra-African trade relations
- Biodiversity, ecosystem services and trade agreements – risks, impacts, costs, opportunities and governance aspects linked to changing rules / norms, standards and regulations, including but not limited to LMO, threatened species, genes, traded biological goods and services (e.g. wood products, minerals, crops).
- Social & environmental safeguards for foreign investments in Africa.
- Environmental, social and governance performance disclosure at African Stock Exchanges.
- Sustainability leadership in private and public institutions and organisations.
4. OVERCOMING THE RESOURCE CURSE: NATURAL RESOURCES AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
- Oil and Gas for Development in Africa
- Mining/minerals for Development in Africa
- The extractive industry sector and biodiversity conservation
Editors:
Submission
Participants must submit an extended abstract of approximately 1 500 words for pre-selection by December 15, 2014. Abstracts should be typed double-spaced, minimum of 11 point script, in English. The abstract should state the objectives, methodology, key viewpoints and conclusions of the work, including and main references. The extended abstract must be submitted by email to j.houdet (at) acts-net.org (quoting ‘2014 – 2015 ACTS RNRE call for issue papers’ in the title of your message). It must be accompanied by a short (maximum 2 page) CV.
Selection process
Submissions will be reviewed by a panel made up of ACTS’ Scientific and Editorial Committee. Decisions on successful applications will be made by January 12, 2015.
Those accepted will then be invited to submit a full Issue Paper of a maximum of 6 000 words, excluding references, March 16, 2015.
Accepted Papers will be published as an ACTS’ Issue Papers, with ISBN and ISSN numbers. They will be indexed in the BazEcon database, and submitted for indexing to: SciVerse Scopus, Inspec, DBLP Computer Science Bibliography and Google Scholar.
Important dates
- Abstract submission deadline: December 15, 2014.
- Acceptance decision: January 12, 2015.
- Full Issue Paper submission: March 16, 2015.
- Publication in ACTS Press: May 26, 2015.
More information can be found on the ACTS website.