The goods needed to vaccinate, protect and test during the COVID-19 pandemic are produced across many different countries. This brief tells the tale of three products ‒ vaccines, face masks and tests ‒ and highlights the role of trade in the fight against COVID-19. International markets and...

This note addresses questions related to the impact of COVID-19 on global value chains (GVCs), focussing on economic impacts and consequences for the organisation of production networks. It discusses policies that can help to promote security of supply and ensure a sustainable economic recovery.

The policy debate on whether the gains from international specialisation in global value chains (GVCs) outweigh the associated risks of transmission of shocks has intensified in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak and the resulting disruptions in supply chains of some manufacturing and...

At a time when many cities and countries are including a smart recovery component in their strategies to rebound from the COVID-19 crisis, the simple presence of digital technologies does not mean that benefits automatically reach everyone. Measuring smart city performance is therefore critical...

Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) play an important role in host countries’ domestic value chains as part of the global activities of these companies in GVCs. MNE affiliates create directly large volumes of output, value added, international trade and jobs, and in addition they generate also...

Policymakers often have a linear view of the world, where pulling the right levers will get the economy and society back on track after shocks and crises. This paper argues that such an approach ignores how systems interact and how their systemic properties shape this interaction, leading to an...