Environment and Development Economics

Submission Deadline: 31 March 2025
Guest Editors: Jorge Alexander Bonilla (Universidad de Los Andes); Rohini Somanathan (Delhi School
of Economics)
Environment and Development Economics seeks to publish a special issue on the political economy of clean air transitions. The issue will be guest edited by Jorge Bonilla at Universidad de Los Andes and Rohini
Somanathan at the Delhi School of Economics.
The journal Environment and Development Economics invites submissions for a special issue focusing on the political economy of clean air transitions. This issue, guest edited by Jorge Bonilla from Universidad de Los Andes and Rohini Somanathan from the Delhi School of Economics, aims to explore policy approaches to improving urban air quality, particularly within rapidly urbanizing regions in the global South.

🌍 Context and Purpose

While many cities worldwide grapple with poor air quality, the challenges faced in rapidly growing urban centers of the global South are distinct. Issues such as weak governance and limited resources often hinder transitions to cleaner fuels and efficient public transportation, even when such changes are welfare-improving. This special issue seeks to build a body of knowledge on the political and institutional factors influencing policy success or failure in these contexts.

The special issue will compile case studies that analyze specific policy reforms—successful or otherwise—examining the political economy of policy-making and implementation. It aims to answer questions like:

  • Why are some welfare-enhancing policies more easily implemented in certain cities than others?
  • What types of transfer arrangements can facilitate change?

📝 Submission Guidelines

  • Deadline: Submit papers by March 31, 2025.
  • Submission Process: Early submissions are encouraged and will be processed upon receipt. All submissions will undergo the standard refereeing process based on the quality of the paper and its relevance to the special issue.
  • How to submit: Submissions should be made online at: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ede. During the first step of the submission process, in the “Special Issue” field, authors should select “Clean Air”. Authors should also indicate in their cover letter that the manuscript is for the “The Political Economy of Clean Air Transitions” Special Issue.
  • Format: Papers may be qualitative or a mix of qualitative and quantitative research. Each paper should focus on a case study of a particular policy or reform related to urban air quality.

For further details, please review the Instructions for Contributors or reach out to the Guest Editors:
Jorge Alexander Bonilla, Universidad de Los Andes: jobonill@uniandes.edu.co
Rohini Somanathan, Delhi School of Economics: rohini@econdse.org