Challenges and opportunities for Latin America and the Caribbean in post-pandemic international trade
CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS WITH COMPENSATION
BOOK: Challenges and opportunities for Latin America and the Caribbean in post-pandemic international trade
1. Institutional background
The Regional Program Alliances for Democracy and Development with Latin America (ADELA) of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) collaborate in the organization of activities and publications that promote the exchange of ideas and solutions to global challenges. Joint activities for 2021 include preparing a book that sheds light on various challenges regarding the current and future participation of Latin America and the Caribbean in international trade.
In this context, the ADELA Program of the KAS and the Division of International Trade and Integration of ECLAC will organize a conference and publish a book (in English and Spanish) that addresses the current and future challenges of the region in international trade to encourage debate and promote common responses. The book includes the chapters written by international experts hired through this call.
2. Context of the publication
In the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, global and regional trade are at a crossroads. Latin America and Caribbean trade dynamics were already affected by tensions before the pandemic, but these have worsened since 2020. Examples include: the erosion of the multilateral trading system represented by the World Trade Organization (WTO), the impact of the changing center of gravitation center of regional trade towards China and the rest of Asia on the region’s production and export structure, the trade and productive disintegration of the region, the high export concentration in few products and few companies and low participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the excessive concentration of regional services exports in tourism and lag in the transition towards the digital goods and services exports.
3. Purpose of the publication
The book will seek to answer key questions to clarify what is at stake for the future of the region’s insertion in international trade and to feed public debate. Along these lines, the chapters will address the ongoing global transformations and how the region could better respond to them.
4. Who is the call for?
Researchers, professors, and professionals able to prepare an original contribution, which meets the requirements of this call, may submit proposals. Several authors may participate in chapter proposals but have to share the agreed fee for the chapter.
5. Thematic areas
Chapter proposals should address ongoing and future trends and transformations in international and regional trade and how Latin America and the Caribbean could better respond. The proposal should focus on one of the following thematic areas:
- Prospects for the trade relationship with China. With an emphasis on opportunities to diversify exports to China and strategies to cope with the impacts generated by imports from China on the region’s structure of production.
- Scenarios and policy recommendations for trade between Latin America and the European Union. Focus on how this bilateral trade could be stimulated and how the European Union could be a catalyst for trade and sustainable development in the region.
- Integration processes in Latin America and the Caribbean, and lessons from other regions. Proposals to overcome the fragmentation and slow progress of regional and subregional integration, and possible lessons of the African Continental Free Trade Area and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
- Future role of the region in global value chains. With a focus on the impacts of its shortening, the reshoring of companies to the United States and the opportunities for Mexico and Central America in the context of nearshoring.
- Impacts of new technologies on region’s international trade. Including an evaluation of the current impacts, the dynamics of cross-border digital trade, and the role of policies to promote new technologies in regional export and imports.
- Future scenarios for trade in services in the post-pandemic region. With a special focus on the tourism sector and opportunities of the region to move towards more knowledge-intensive activities.
- Effects of the trade war between China and the United States. With an analysis of the possible impacts of an increase in protectionism and its relationship with the development of regional integration schemes.
- Future of the multilateral trading system and its delayed reform process. With special emphasis on the opportunities and challenges for Latin America and the Caribbean.
- International trade as a development tool for SMEs and women. With a possible focus on equal access to trade and its impact on labor markets.
- The link between the region’s trade and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. With a special emphasis on the progress and challenges of this relation.
- Long-term trends for the international transport of people and goods. With a special emphasis on increased maritime transport fees and the impact of COVID-19 on passenger transport.
6. Format
Proposals should comply the following requirements:
- Presents the title, context, objectives, methodology, expected outcome and value added in relation to the existing literature.
- Written in either Spanish and English.
- Formatted on an A4 sheet, Calibri 11 fonts, 2.5cm top and bottom margins and 3cm side margins (Microsoft Word default format), APA type of citations.
- Have an extension of between 1,500 and 2,500 words (the final chapters should be between 15,000 and 17,000 words, excluding the bibliography).
- Focus on one of the themes indicated above.
- Include the authors’ CVs.
- Indicate the expected fee.
- Sent before September 2, 2021 to Marcee Gomez (marcee.gomez@kas.de).
7. Evaluation
A scientific committee will evaluate the proposals and notify the authors of its decision. For this, the following criteria will be used:
- The structure of the document corresponds to what is requested
- Clarity and feasibility of the proposed objectives
- Consistency between the title, the content, and the proposed methodology
- Clarity of language and writing
- Relevance of the proposed methodology
- Novelty of the proposed approach
- Relevance of the bibliography and sources used
Scale: 1. Poor, 2. Fair, 3. Acceptable, 4. Good and 5. Excellent.
8. Important dates
- Call opening: August 2, 2021
- Call closing: September 2, 2021
- Publication of results: September 15, 2021
- Deadline for chapters: December 1, 2021
- Payment of fees: December 15, 2021
- Conference for the presentation of the book: First half of 2022
9. Organization
The editors of the book are Winfried Weck (Director of the ADELA program, KAS), Nanno Mulder (Head of the International Trade Unit, ECLAC), and Mariano Alvarez (Consultant, KAS ADELA). The book is coordinated by Marcee Gomez (Project Coordinator of the ADELA program, KAS).
10. Miscellaneous
- The final chapters of the book must be of original content and the authors will transfer the copyright to the United Nations and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.
- The book will be published digitally in English and Spanish and will be open access.
- A limited number of copies will be printed and the authors will receive copies.
