This course will focus on the linkages between structural transformation, economic growth and the attainment of internationally agreed development goals. It will offer an analysis of recent progress in these three areas, using examples from developing countries and least developed countries, and present some concrete policy tools for accelerating the process of structural transformation.
In the first session, the interdependence between economic and human development will be discussed, and some recent evidence on the critical role of structural transformation and labour productivity growth in effecting this nexus will be presented.
The course will then address more practical industrial policy concerns and present an innovative policy tool designed to guide the evolution of an economy towards the production of progressively higher value-added goods.
The final session will focus on the central contribution of agricultural upgrading and rural diversification to the entire process of structural transformation in developing countries.
Delivered by: Division on Africa, Least Developed Countries and Special Programmes
The UNCTAD short courses on Key Issues on the International Economic Agenda for Geneva-based Diplomats provide an opportunity for delegates to learn about current and emerging issues, and to dialogue with UNCTAD researchers in an academic setting.
The success of the first two short courses in 2004 and 2005 led member states to request their continuation and expansion.
The result was the launching in 2007 of two semesters of half-day courses delivered monthly.
The programme of the courses is demand-driven: the diplomats themselves propose areas on which they require updated information.
Their suggestions are the basis for the development of courses on emerging topics on which UNCTAD and its individual divisions conduct research work.
