Intensifying climate impacts tighten the transition trilemma between sustainability, affordability and security. However, rapid innovation and exponential growth in the deployment of green technology have significantly reduced costs in low-carbon sectors and increased their productivity and contribution to economic growth. Some technologies have reached, or may soon reach, tipping points where costs break parity with fossil sectors, although profit rates associated with green technologies remain lower. Additional trends may also help accelerate the transition, such as growing environmental demands from civil society organizations and other constituencies, and decarbonization as a potential source of geopolitical leverage.
We are thus entering a “mid-transition” period — a situation of rapid economic transformation in which both fossil and low-carbon systems coexist leading to economic, financial, political and geopolitical turmoil in combination with ongoing environmental crises. A systemic approach is key to designing policies that can help societies navigate through the mid-transition period. These include closing financing gaps without jeopardizing financial stability, advancing climate mitigation options while minimizing transition risks, adapting to physical risks and responding to climate damages and losses, and managing trade-offs within adaptation and transition efforts while maintaining fiscal and debt sustainability.
Public authorities in general and Ministries of Finance in particular have a key role to play in shaping and coordinating appropriate policy options to build economic resilience and manage the transition. Enhanced coordination at regional and global levels is also needed to ensure cross-border cooperation within supply-chains and diversification opportunities.  
 

This includes but is not limited to the following topics:

• Characterizing the mid-transition period and potential risks and vulnerabilities;
• Political economy of the mid-transition period;
• Policy mixes for the mid-transition period;
• International cooperation and governance systems in the mid-transition.

Detailed information about the topics in the document below.

Application process and support

Please email your full research paper and/or policy brief draft to c3a@worldbank.org, including your full name, professional title, and academic affiliation if relevant, by October 20th, 2024. 
Accepted research papers and policy briefs will be announced on October 30th, 2024.
Application of researchers from Global South countries are strongly encouraged. Travel support for PhD students and post-doctoral researchers from Global South countries will notably be available.

Guidelines on research papers and policy briefs

Research papers: expected research papers encourage the exchange of policy relevant empirical, theoretical or modeling analysis on the above themes. They are designed to produce results with wide applicability across countries or sectors, either in terms of methodological approach, empirical validity or policy implications. Research papers are expected to provide reproducible results and thus detail all related technical aspects (30 to 50 pages).
Policy briefs: expected policy briefs should inform readers of a particular policy experience, suggest possible policy options, and make recommendations. Policy briefs are expected to be concise (5 to 10 pages) and not discuss tangential information. A convincing policy brief should build on sound analytics and empirics, communicate the urgency of the issue and focus on the benefits and advantages of following a certain policy option. Co-authoring between policymakers and academics is strongly recommended.

Proceedings

Key contributions of the C3A Symposium will be edited in a Symposium Proceedings to be published in the first semester 2025. Special issues may also be proposed ahead of the Symposium. In addition, a synthesizing policy brief will summarize the policy challenges and options discussed during the Symposium.