︎
Tilman Altenburg
German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)
Tilman Altenburg leads the research programme “Transformation of Economic and Social Systems” at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS). He received his doctorate in Economic Geography in 1991. Tilman has done empirical research on economic development in Latin America, Asia and Africa, with a focus on competitiveness, industrial and innovation policy, and value chains. His main theme is how developing countries can design economic policies that enable them to improve their position in the global economy in a way that is socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable. Currently, he is coordinating research projects on green industrial policy in developing countries and on structural change in Africa.
MORE ABOUT TILMAN ALTENBURG >2024
Tilmann Altenburg and Anne Kantel
Green Hydrogen in Namibia: Opportunities and Risks
Namibia is a highly competitive location for solar and wind energy, which can be utilised to produce green hydrogen and derivatives that are essential for decarbonising the global economy. Its government therefore has high hopes for this entire industrial complex, as do several European countries in...
Nora Aboushady, Tilman Altenburg, Inga Carry, Jann Lay, Melanie Müller, Mark Schrolle, Frauke Steglich, Lea Strack, Tevin Tafese, Rainer Thiele
The European supply chain law is coming after all – What can we make of the compromise?
Jann Lay, Tilman Altenburg, Melanie Müller, Tevin Tafese, Rainer Thiele, Frauke Steglich
Europäische Lieferkettenregulierung nicht aufhalten! Sie ist ein wichtiger Schritt für eine bessere Globalisierung
2023
“Sustainable global supply chains in times of geopolitical crises” Annual Report 2023
The overarching topic of this year's report is "The Role of Geopolitics in Global Supply Chains", highlighting ways in which recent geopolitical and geo-economic developments are shaping and influencing current debates and policy processes around global supply chains (GSCs). Following...
2022
Sustainable Global Supply Chains Report 2022
Global Supply Chains (GSCs) have become a key feature of globalisation. Production processes are increasingly broken down into specific tasks and organised across national borders. They are organised and governed by “lead firms” that set many of the standards according to which other firms in th...
2022
Tilman Altenburg, Nicoletta Corrocher, and Franco Malerba
China’s leapfrogging in electromobility. A story of green transformation driving catch-up and competitive advantage
For several decades, China tried to catch up in the automotive industry, yet until recently with little success. Now, the paradigm shift from internal combustion to electric driving has opened a window of opportunity to catch up with global competitors. The Chinese government provided a strong polic...
Tilman Altenburg, Nele Wenck, Smeeta Fokeer, and Manuel Albaladejo
Green hydrogen: Opportunities for industrial development through forward linkages from renewables
Lindsay Whitfield and Tilman Altenburg
Automation versus relocation in clothing global value chains: Will investments shift from China to Africa at a big scale?
2020
Anna Pegels and Tilman Altenburg
Latecomer development in a “greening” world: Introduction to the Special Issue
The current transgression of ecological boundaries requires a transformation to a ‘Green Economy’, with rigorous and fast reductions of pollution and resource consumption. Transformative policy reforms towards this aim can lead to economic co-benefits, but they can also be costly, at least for c...
2020
Altenburg Tilman, Xiao Chen, Wilfried Lütkenhorst, Cornelia Staritz, and Lindsay Whitfield
Exporting out of China or out of Africa? Automation versus relocation in the global clothing industry
This Discussion Paper examines the opportunities that the rising industrial wages in China will bring for Africa. China has been the industrial workbench of the global economy for decades. However, its competitive advantages are waning, particularly for labour-intensive assembly activities in the cl...
2019
Stamm Andreas, Tilman Altenburg, Maximilian Müngersdorff, Tim Stoffel, and Kasper Vrolijk
Soziale und ökologische Herausforderungen der globalen Textilwirtschaft: Lösungsbeiträge der deutschen Entwicklungszusammenarbeit
Bekleidung für den rasch wachsenden Weltmarkt wird fast ausschließlich in Entwicklungs- und Schwellenländern gefertigt. Die Produktionsbedingungen in diesen Ländern gehen mit erheblichen sozialen und ökologischen Problemen einher. Diese in den Griff zu bekommen, ist eines der wesentlichen Ziele...
2017
Altenburg Tilman and Dani Rodrik
Green industrial policy: Accelerating structural change towards wealthy green economies
The Chapter discusses the conceptual foundations of green industrial policy. Altenburg and Rodrik explain why looking through the lens of industrial policy provides important insights for a green transformation. They summarize lessons learned from decades of experimentation with, and research on, in...
