E-LEARNING COURSE MODULE 1

GREEN ECONOMY & TRADE

GREEN INDUSTRIAL POLICY
PROMOTING COMPETITIVENESS AND
STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION

COURSE SYLLABUS

GREEN ECONOMY AND TRADE 1

Empowered lives.
Resilient nations.
BACKGROUND 2. Policymakers and planners, e.g. those working on
the design, implementation and/or evaluation of
Over two and a half centuries, the model of economic contemporary industrial policy;
development based on wide-spread industrialization has
given rise to both unprecedented prosperity and global 3. Civil society, e.g. non-governmental organizations,
ecological threats. Climate change, environmental advocacy groups and industrial associations.
pollution, biodiversity loss and ubiquitous waste
accumulation are severely undermining the material LEARNING OBJECTIVES
conditions on which continued progress relies.
Conventional industrial policy has been a major ingredient Building upon the trilogy of reports on green industrial
of human development as much as it has contributed policy1 developed under PAGE, this course aims to build
to environmental risks through unsustainable resource capacities among its target audience with respect to the
consumption and linear production models. following areas:

It is abundantly clear today that a new model of economic • Explain the rationale for advancing green industry
development is urgently needed – one that can deliver
• Differentiate the main concepts related to green
prosperity, withstand economic shocks, and sustain
industrial policy
a healthy environment within the contours of a finite
planet. Green industrial policy can be part of the answer • Highlight relevant empirical evidence in support of
by addressing market failures and advancing structural policy reform
change in those components of the economy that account
for a large share of resource use and waste production • Distinguish policy instruments to foster structural
on the one hand, and infrastructure, technological change
development and employment on the other.
• Appraise strategic considerations during policy
The diagnosis of rapidly degrading ecosystems is known, design, implementation and evaluation
and the policy instruments to address the situation are
• Outline the relationship between green industrial
available. One major practical challenge lies in building
policy and trade
a critical mass of change agents – and those that in-
form and educate them – to tip policy action from busi-
ness-as-usual towards a new paradigm. Responding to the METHODOLOGY
challenge, the United Nations Environment Programme
The methodology of the course enables users to
(UNEP), United Nations Industrial Development Organi-
choose a custom learning path from a suite of different
sation (UNIDO) and United Nations Institute for Training
materials. These entail short video lectures, curated
and Research (UNITAR) developed this course under the
readings, factsheets, podcasts and assessments.
Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE). The
Course elements can be chosen in a modular way to be
course sets out to provide trainers, educators and poli-
integrated into existing instructional activities, such as
cymakers with a scientifically sound foundation, didactic
workshops, lectures or seminars, blending online and
instruments and learning material to gain a thorough un-
in-presence formats. The course is also suitable for self-
derstanding of the main tenets of green industrial policy
study, and the materials are composed and presented
and their application around the world.
to allow a coherent flow for individual online learners.
TARGET AUDIENCE Each module is divided into a core which we deem essential
The course features a distinct design to support trainers to understanding the topic at hand, and additional
and lecturers in advancing learning on green industrial resources for those that seek an in-depth discussion on
policy at a high technical level. A suite of didactic more specific aspects and applications of green industrial
instruments is offered for integration or tailoring into policy. The course modules follow a logical sequence,
existing instructional activities. Users are also welcome charting a path from conceptual understanding towards
to peruse the course materials for self-study, since practical application. However, the course materials can
the material is presented in the format of a stand- be consulted without restriction in any order, according
alone online course. Those with a robust pre-existing to the learner’s preference.
understanding of the wider topic are expected to benefit Learning progress is assessed by means of module-
the most. The course should be of particular interest to specific questions as well as a final quiz based on the
the following audiences: course’s core materials. Only the final quiz is graded.
Information on certification is provided below.
1. Training institutions and universities, e.g. those
entities educating the current and next generation
of decision makers in public and private sectors;

1  To access the publications, visit https://www.un-page.org/greenindustrialpolicy.

STRUCTURE AND CONTENTS The course sets out to provide a wide panorama of the
main conceptual and empirical considerations within the
To help reach the learning objectives, the course is current global green industrial policy debate, along five
divided into five modules. The core materials for each modules with each addressing a specific set of questions.
module takes approximately five hours to finish. Each The module outlines are illustrated in the table at the
module starts off with a short video lecture, followed bottom of this page.
by core readings of approximately 30-50 pages and a
factsheet to summarize the main discussion points. The CERTIFICATION
core materials are mandatory for individual learners
completing the stand-alone online course. The additional Users who pass the final quiz obtain a certificate of com-
resources contain extended readings and multimedia pletion. The quiz is successfully passed at a score of 70% or
sources, providing more depth and data. The following higher. Once the certification criteria are met, users can
table illustrates the module structure: download the certificate from the course’s webpage.

Core materials TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

Browser:
Video lecture
Core readings • The course works best with Firefox 50 or higher

Podcast • The course is also compatible with Google Chrome

and Internet Explorer
Factsheet
• JavaScript & Cookies must be enabled
Module test questions
Platform: 2000, NT, ME, XP or superior; MacOS 9 or
Final quiz
MacOS X
Additional resources Hardware: 64 MB of RAM, 1 GB of free disk space
Suggested in-depth readings Modem: 128 K
Multimedia resources

MODULE 1 MODULE 2 MODULE 3 MODULE 4 MODULE 5

INDUSTRIAL GREEN STRATEGIC GREEN GREEN

POLICY: INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT INDUSTRIAL INDUSTRIAL
CHALLENGES AND POLICY: OF GREEN POLICY POLICY AND
OPPORTUNITIES CONCEPTUAL INDUSTRIAL INSTRUMENTS TRADE
FOUNDATIONS POLICY

What is industrial What are the key What are the main Which types of What is the nexus
policy, and why is it environmental elements in strategic instruments can between green
justified? challenges at a green industrial be employed in industrial policy and
global level? policymaking? green industrial trade?
What opportunities policymaking?
can industrial policy What is green Who are the key How can
generate? industrial policy, stakeholders that What are the main international trade
and what are its drive green industrial advantages and law advance green
What specific characteristics? policymaking? disadvantages of industrial policy?
challenges do each type?
developing countries How can green What cross-cutting How can trade
face? industrial policy issues should Which instruments promote structural
support developing policymakers would be most transformation
countries? consider? effective in a in developing
developing country countries?
context?
FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT PAGE

PAGE Secretariat
United Nations Environment Programme
Resources & Markets Branch
11-13 Chemin des Anémones
CH-1219 Chatelaine-Geneva
Switzerland

Email [email protected]
Website www.un-page.org