Abstract Global production network (GPN) maps are not static, and both incremental and major changes can and do occur. This study examines one potentially game-changing scenario, that is, the effect of an external shock. The most damaging of these are severe shocks brought about by economic or...

Abstract Aid for Trade is widely heralded as a success in promoting increased trade by developing countries. Increased trade, however, does not automatically translate into greater prosperity for workers or local communities. In a world characterized by global value chains (GVCs) in which large...

Abstract The Capturing the Gains research network assesses the relationship between economic and social upgrading in global production networksin four sectors; apparel, agro-foods, mobile phones, and tourism. This paper details the findings of the apparel sector research team, with a focus on...

Abstract What can Better Work offer producers in a country like Nicaragua to alleviate the burden caused by the heavily trade-dependent nature of the industry’s development, and how do the relatively high-level institutional development and work-place protections in the country affect the...

Abstract This overview of tourism research conducted by Capturing the Gains covers cases from Asia (China, Indonesia and India), and Africa (Kenya, South Africa and Uganda). The tourism value chain is outlined and changes in the relative roles of different agencies discussed. The paper analyses...

Abstract Horticulture value chains in South Africa are undergoing a process of rapid transformation. The sector is significant in the generation of agricultural GDP, employment and exports. European supermarkets have long been an important destination for fruit. Supermarkets source through...

Abstract The electronics manufacturing sector has played a prominent role in export-oriented development strategies, as participation in this high-tech industry promises access to new technology, high skilled jobs and a fast-growing market. Against this background, many governments in Central...

Abstract This paper applies a parsimonious measurement approach to study how a sample of developing countries have performed in the global apparel industry during the past decade, and particularly after the phase-out of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement (MFA) in 2004, and to trace their economic and...

Abstract With the steady growth of global value chains (GVCs), each country’s trade now has a more complex relationship with the international division of labor. We decompose the employment effects of a country’s trade into five components, specifically the labour content (1) in exports, (2)...

Abstract This paper explores Cambodian garment factory workers’ collective voice and ability to negotiate a living wage. Workers’ agency is examined through a case study of a large-scale strike in September 2010 over national minimum wage negotiations, led by two Cambodian trade union...