The rise of global industrialisation has led to the growth of manufacturing industries and the rapid expansion of multinational corporations. However, while industrialisation has indeed catalysed economic growth, it has also resulted in serious environmental problems such as the generation of waste and the depletion of finite natural resources. It is against this background that the concept of Circular Economy (CE) is proposed. In contrast with the ‘linear’ economic model which exploits resources from nature, manufactures them into commodities, and disposes their waste, CE aims to decouple economic growth from the exploitation of finite natural resources. This is achieved by offering a regenerative economic design where resources are reused, remanufactured, and recycled.
To foster research interest on CE in Indonesia, Center for World Trade Studies (CWTS), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), invites academics, practitioners, and undergraduate, master, as well as doctoral students to join the Circular Economy Study Group. The group is intended as a forum in which researchers interested in CE share their research ideas about CE, receive feedbacks from their peers and experts, collaboratively develop their ideas into publishable works, and expand their network.
To join the study group, interested participants need to send a brief research proposal about topics that they find interesting. For example, they may be interested in exploring these questions:
- What are the relationships between trade, CE, and sustainable development?
- What are the roles that the state, society, and business may assume to accelerate transition toward CE?
- How to accelerate innovation in sustainable production, distribution, consumption, and disposal models?
- What are business models that are suitable to CE?
- What are strategies to manage the impacts of business activities to the environment?
- How do transnational policy advocacy networks globalise the concept of CE?
The proposal should be less than 500 words. It can be written in English or Indonesian. Interested participants may refer to the proposal template for guidance.
The Circular Economy Study Group aim to develop this brief research proposal into publishable articles through a series of biweekly online discussion forum. CWTS will facilitate this forum, connect the participants with relevant experts, assist them in identifying the relevant literature, and help them in preparing the draft of their articles.
If you are interested, please send the proposal in .doc, .docx, or .rtf format to jwts.pusdi@ugm.ac.id by 26 November 2020. For inquiry, please send your email to jwts.pusdi@ugm.ac.id.