P166 Short Course: The UNCTAD Productive Capacities Index (PCI): A New Tool for Policy Formulation in Developing Countries

In response to a request by member States at the fourteenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XIV), UNCTAD has developed the Productive Capacities Index (PCI). The multidimensional, composite index covers 193 countries, and is composed of 46 indicators across eight categories: human capital, natural capital, transport, energy, information and communications technology, structural change, institutions, and the private sector. The PCI will be a valuable tool to guide the formulation and implementation of development policies. It also assists in the assessment of progress made in implementation of domestic policies and global actions and frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and specific programmes of action. The PCI builds on UNCTAD’s long-standing work on productive capacities as the productive resources, entrepreneurial capabilities, and production linkages, which together determine a country’s capacity to produce goods and services.

Delegates will have the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the importance of the PCI as a tool to guide policy formulation and implementation in developing countries; evaluation of aggregate PCI in developing countries; levels and conditions of category- specific scores and values with policy implications; and the way forward and the relevance of the PCI in their daily activities.