Call for Book Chapter (s)
The Green Economy and the Belt and Road Initiative: Development and Sustainability
Publisher: Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group)
Deadline for submissions: August 10, 2023
Expression of interest: February 25, 2023
Year of publication: 2023
Overview and rationale
The Belt and Road initiative (BRI) creates significant opportunities for China and the countries along various routes. This initiative aims to eliminate trade barriers, establish free trade zones, and promote investment & trade possibilities between Pakistan and China along the route (Cheng, Song & Huang, 2018). The opportunities exist in the domain of infrastructure development and investments for ports, freeways, bridges, and rail, which will open up new avenues for international trade & manufacturing, logistics & maritime services, banking & finance, and professional services (Wahid, Mumtaz, Kabylinskii, & Abdullah, 2019). Primarily,the five goals of the BRI include:
① policy coordination;
② facilities connectivity;
③ unimpeded trade;
④ financial integration, and
⑤ people-to-people bonds.
The main objective of China's Belt and Road initiative is to promote economic development and regional connectivity, which is perhaps the largest single investment in infrastructure in the history of mankind (UN Environment Program, 2021). This initiative will involve trillions of dollars of investments, mainly in the green transport, renewable energy, and industrial and technical capacity building, enhancing countries' propensity to go green.
Over the last decade, the green economy has become an integral part of the long-run economic sustainability of BRI projects. In earlier studies, researchers have defined green finance and economics from their own perspectives (Mumtaz & Yoshino, 2021); hence there is no agreement on a single definition of green finance. However, researchers have a consensus that green economic initiatives improve the quality of the environment on one side and promote economic sustainability on the other.
In line with the concept of the green economic system, the 2015 Paris Agreement was signed by the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)1 to mitigate environmental risks (Zhang, Zhang, & Managi, 2019) and achieve a simultaneous “sustainability” of meeting economic targets and at the same time protecting the globe for future generations. Achieving the desired objectives requires $53 trillion in finances (Mumtaz & Yoshino, 2021) which cultivates the surge in demand for the green economy framework.
A green economy is defined as an economic framework that ensures low carbon emissions, resource-efficient utilization, and social inclusiveness (United Nations, 2022). The Green economy provides a macro-economic framework for long-run sustainable economic growth with a perspective of achieving a simultaneous “sustainability” of meeting economic targets now while at the same time protecting the globe for future generations (Tekdal, 2018).
According to the UN, a green economy may be developed focusing on three parameters such as (a) green policy mainstreaming, (b) green investment and finance and (c) institutional capacity building on the green economy. This may be manifested as nourishing a development path that helps to understand the importance of natural capital such as fossil fuels, water, and natural ecosystem as critical economic assets for the well-being of all stakeholders of nature (Schumacher, 1973). We intend to go beyond the traditional understanding of China and BRI which is simply an initiative seeking to strengthen interregional cooperation and development through trade, investments, and infrastructure (Zhai, 2018). The important drivers of China especially for BRI’s success, include the long-run sustainability of BRI. While academic debates and policy dialogues worldwide have existed worldwide about the large-scale infrastructure development, regional connectivity, and new world economic order post-BRI, its long-run sustainability by developing green economy aspects remains largely under-explored. This book will cover three aspects of green economy development and sustainability: green policy mainstreaming initiatives, issuance of green financial instruments, provision of green loans, and capacity building of BRI’s allies for green economy and financial system.
Indicative Topic for Chapters
Part #1: Green Economy Policy Mainstreaming
· Policy Coordination and Support for Green Economy
· Strategic Environmental Assessment of BRI Projects
· Environmental and Climate Evaluations of Energy Projects
· Social Impacts of BRI projects
· Social and Green Procurement Standards
Part #2: Green Financial Instruments
· Regulations and Compliance for Green Instruments
· Green Loans for BRI Projects and Social Impacts
· Assessment and Evaluation of Green Bonds
· Evaluation of Green Instruments and Green Capital Markets
Part # 3: Institutional Capacity Building on Green Initiatives
· Institutional Skill and Capacity for Green Initiatives
· Policy Coordination for Institutional Green Policy Development
· Implementation and Evaluation of Institutional Green Policy
Chapter(s) are invited for inclusion in this interdisciplinary book on the Development and Sustainability of Green Economy under BRI, written from a finance and economics perspective. The book will focus on topics as diverse as macroeconomic initiatives, policies, financial instruments, and strategies that lead to a green economy. The book will include descriptive, theoretical, and empirical chapters exploring finance and economics-related opportunities and challenges emanating from BRI projects that can hinder and enable the development and long-run sustainability of green economy under BRI projects. The book will shed light on both core and specific interests of individual countries for participation in BRI projects and examine such projects’implications, challenges, and opportunities for developing and sustaining a green economy. The authors will provide China’s and other countries perspectives highlighting the significance of reviving the BRI projects including infrastructure development, renewable energy projects, Special Economic Zones (SEZs) developed under BRI that are developed as well as financing through green finance and investment. The book will be of equal interest to policymakers, practitioners, entrepreneurs, businesspersons, strategic analysts, and academics in China and other countries along the Belt and Road.
Important Date:
· Abstract and Outline Submission: February 25, 2023
· Decision on Abstract and Outline: March 10, 2023
· First Draft Submission: August 10, 2023
· Comments and Suggestions by Editors & Experts: September 10, 2023
· Submission of Final Version: September 30, 2023
· Draft for Proof Reading: October 25, 2023
· Literary Editing, Formatting, and Final Publication: December 2023
Submission Guidelines:
· The book will comprise descriptive, theoretical & empirical chapters and case studies. In addition to the literature review and/or theoretical framing, each chapter will have a significant section on actual organizational examples or case studies related to China and Belt and Road
· Each chapter will have a brief abstract (an overview of the chapter and its contents - 300 words), keywords (4 to 6), and index terms (including key terms or concepts, names of key scholars, etc. – 15 to 25 per chapter)
· Use A4 size with Normal margins (1in/63.5px) in Times New Roman 16px, double-spaced, including bibliographic references.
· Please keep the number of tables, figures and images (JPEGs) in your chapter to a minimum. Please note that we require tables and figures to be drawn in black and white, have a minimum resolution of 300dpi, and to be in an editable format. If you have based tables and figures on another source, please indicate this in the manuscript e.g., Source: (Smith, 2015).
· Please restrict the use of footnotes and endnotes as much as possible, but if you do use them we prefer endnotes.
· In the text, please direct readers to “see Table 1.1” (or Figure 2.3) rather than giving page numbers or using general terms such as “above” or “below.”
· We will need both in-text citations (Name, Year) and a bibliography in APA style at the end of each chapter.
· Author(s) should consistently adopt American spelling or punctuation.
· It is the responsibility of the author(s) to obtain written permission from the copyright holder to reproduce a figure/table/text copied from another publication without modification. Moreover, full credit must be given to the copyright holder in the chapter. You will need to provide the signed Consent to Publish forms which may include relevant permissions paperwork, including the Permission Request Form, Interview Request Form, and Permissions Checklist.
· Anonymous peer reviews will be provided on each chapter to ensure submission quality and consistency with the book's aims and structure.
· Total words: 8,000 to 12,000 words per chapter (inclusive of everything)
Expression of Interest
If you are interested in contributing a chapter to this book titled “The Green Economy and the Belt and Road Initiative: Development and Sustainability”, please email to contact our office by February 20, 2023, indicating a topic of the chapter of your choice, title, and brief description (250 words).
Complimentary copy
The publisher will provide one copy of the book free of charge to each contributor of chapters.
About the editors
Dr. Abdul Wahid is serving as an Assistant Professor (Accounting and Finance) at NUML School of Business, National University of Modern Languages (NUML), Islamabad. He believes that the future of developing economies lies in the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with
inclusive growth, equal opportunity for all, and a sustainable environment. He has around 20 publications including but not limited to consulting reports, and international / national journal publications. He has more than 10 years of professional and academic experience. He brings with him analytical and statistical skills into the field of research in stock market, Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), real estate market and gender-based economic discrimination.
He is a development consultant and management trainer with significant experience in the real estate market, stock market, IPOs, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and demutualization of exchanges. He has remained technical advisor, team leader/ principal investigator for design, implementation and monitoring a number of projects and has been involved in conducting research for institutions like HEC, the ministry of urban planning, the Pakistan Stock Exchange, and the Centre of Excellence for CPEC and RASTA.
Dr. Muhammad Zubair Mumtaz is a seasoned researcher and academician. He is associated with the College of Business Administration, University of Bahrain, and works as an Associate Professor of Finance. He is also engaged with the School of Social Sciences & Humanities, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan. His research interest includes green finance, artificial technology, fintech, and blockchain.
He has exposure to working in both public and private organizations. Prominently, he was associated with the Board of Investment, Privatization Commission, Ministry of Industries & Production, and Saudi Pak Industrial & Agricultural Investment Company. Earlier, he worked with Quaid-e-Azam University, Bahria University, Foundation University, and the National University of Modern Languages. During the last six years, he has published 45+ research papers in international and local journals of repute. He also published eight book chapters and participated in different international conferences including Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI). Also, he has the exposure to work on projects like Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Asia and Centre for Excellence for China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).