Recent years have shown increasing interest in the possibility of structural transformation in low-income countries. However, there is also increasing evidence of the salience of constraints associated with the legacies of market-led reforms adopted during the structural adjustment era. The clearest evidence of the continued salience of North-South inequalities is that very few countries have achieved structural transformation since the 1950s and most of those that did are in East Asia. On the one hand, there is much optimism about the return of ‘state capitalism’, ‘industrial policy’ or even the increased policy space associated with rivalry among great powers. On the other hand, there is evidence of many countries falling into debt crises and most countries suffering crises of under-employment given the nature of precarious work generated by contemporary forms of economic transformation.

This panel invites papers that examine the possibilities and constraints of contemporary structural transformation strategies. The panel invites optimistic analyses that describe the potential of new structural transformation pathways – whether they be within traditional manufacturing sectors, ‘green’ industrial sectors, agro-processing or even services sectors. In doing so, the panel invites both sectoral and country-specific studies, as well as cross-country studies that explore global trends. The panel encourages submissions that temper optimism with understanding of the continued constraints associated with contemporary globalisation. This may be the legacy of market-led reforms, the increased liberalisation and integration of financial sectors, the adverse incorporation of domestic firms in global value chains, ideological barriers to structural transformation or the high levels of debt within many Global South economies. 

Possible topics for papers may fall within themes such as:

1)         Political Economy of Industrial Policy

2)         Financing for Development

3)         The Political Economy of Energy Transitions

4)         The Political Economy of Commodity Dependency and Upgrading

5)         Political Economy of Services Strategies

his panel is organised by the EADI Working Group on "The Politics and Political Economy of Economic Transformation"