Steven Poelhekke obtains NWO Open Competition SSH-M Grant
Research fellow Steven Poelhekke of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam has obtained an NWO Open Competition SSH-M grant of €400,000. The project “Restricting raw material exports” includes team members Maarten Bosker (Erasmus University Rotterdam and research fellow) and Paul Pelzl (NHH Norwegian School of Economics and former TI student).
Public summary of the project
Industrial raw materials such as copper, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements are critical inputs in countless production processes, including renewable energy, lithium batteries, and other inputs supporting the green transition. Many developing countries simply export raw materials while most value added is generated in advanced economies, which lowers global consumer prices but does little to reduce poverty and global inequality.
Many countries therefore started to voluntarily restrict raw material exports, often to promote local processing industries. Does that put them on a path to prosperity, and what are the implications for trade, global value chains, and the energy transition?