Global value chains (GVCs) have taken the policy world by storm, with many policymakers viewing them as potent tools to boost economic development through industrial upgrading. In this Perspective, the authors argue that zooming in on the roles of tasks, linkages and firms helps clarify the...

In this paper we argue that export data are an inadequate tool to measure a country's international competitiveness when external trade is dominated by export-processing trade. Export data do not necessarily reflect the value produced in an exporting country, but rather capture the gross value...