Documents Gereffi, Gary 5 results

"The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a dramatic shortage in the medical supplies needed to treat the virus due to a massive surge in demand as the disease circled the globe during the first half of 2020. Prior to the crisis, there was an interdependence of trade and production for medical supplies, with advanced industrial countries like the United States and Germany specializing in the relatively high-tech medical devices sector, while low-cost production hubs such as China and Malaysia were leading producers of less technologically sophisticated personal protective equipment (PPE) products such as face masks, surgical gloves, and medical gowns. After the COVID-19 outbreak, global shortages of PPE products emerged as many affected countries imposed export controls and sought ways to boost domestic output. A case study of the face mask value chain in the United States shows misalignments between the priorities of U.S. federal government officials and the strategies of leading U.S. multinational producers of face masks, which resulted in exceptionally costly policy delays in terms of health outcomes. On balance, the U.S. shortage of N95 respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic is more a policy failure than a market failure. The global value chain framework highlights strategic options that could lead to more resilient supply chains and diversified sourcing patterns."

"Contemporary globalization has been marked by significant shifts in the organization and governance of global industries. In the 1970s and 1980s, one such shift was characterized by the emergence of buyer-driven and producer-driven commodity chains. In the early 2000s, a more differentiated typology of governance structures was introduced, which focused on new types of coordination in global value chains (GVCs). Today the organization of the global economy is entering another phase, with transformations that are reshaping the governance structures of both GVCs and global capitalism at various levels: (1) the end of the Washington Consensus and the rise of contending centers of economic and political power; (2) a combination of geographic consolidation and value chain concentration in the global supply base, which, in some cases, is shifting bargaining power from lead firms in GVCs to large suppliers in developing economies; (3) new patterns of strategic coordination among value chain actors; (4) a shift in the end markets of many GVCs accelerated by the economic crisis of 2008–09, which is redefining regional geographies of investment and trade; and (5) a diffusion of the GVC approach to major international donor agencies, which is prompting a reformulation of established development paradigms. "

"This article builds a theoretical framework to help explain governance patterns in global value chains. It draws on three streams of literature - transaction costs economics, production networks, and technological capability and firm-level learning - to identify three variables that play a large role in determining how global value chains are governed and change. These are: (1) the complexity of transactions, (2) the ability to codify transactions, and (3) the capabilities in the supply-base. The theory generates five types of global value chain governance - hierarchy, captive, relational, modular, and market - which range from high to low levels of explicit coordination and power asymmetry. The article highlights the dynamic and overlapping nature of global value chain governance through four brief industry case studies: bicycles, apparel, horticulture and electronics."

"A key challenge in promoting decent work worldwide is how to improve the position of both firms and workers in value chains and global production networks driven by lead firms. This article develops a framework for analysing the linkages between the economic upgrading of firms and the social upgrading of workers. Drawing on studies which indicate that firm upgrading does not necessarily lead to improvements for workers, with a particular focus on the Moroccan garment industry, it outlines different trajectories and scenarios to provide a better understanding of the relationship between economic and social upgrading."

"Manufacturing Climate Solutions presents new research linking U.S. jobs with selected low-carbon technologies that can help combat global warming. In the series, we ask, “In a new global economy increasingly affected by the threat of climate change, what are the U.S. job opportunities in technologies that can reduce carbon emissions?” This ongoing series builds upon a five-technology report released in November 2008 with two new chapters made available in February 2009. Technologies analyzed so far include: LED lighting (November 2008): Leading U.S. manufacturers find it crucial to ensure high quality and to protect their innovations--two good reasons to keep the manufacturing close to home. High-performance windows (November 2008): The U.S. industry faces new, more stringent efficiency criteria that may spur manufacturers to retool production lines and further innovate. Auxiliary power units for trucks (November 2008): Integration of auxiliary power units into long-haul truck manufacturing in the near future will likely increase penetration rates dramatically, with a corresponding boost to manufacturing. Concentrating solar power (November 2008): The new market for concentrating solar power plants has potential to create numerous U.S. manufacturing and construction jobs as U.S. companies grow and foreign firms come to the United States. Super Soil Systems (November 2008): This new technology for treating hog wastes could allow the United States to become a global market leader in a sector where, until now, no adequate alternative has been available. Heat Pump Water Heaters (February 2009): New ENERGY STAR criteria for residential water heaters and new models expected in 2009 could increase demand for these energy-saving products, opening greater opportunities for U.S. component manufacturing in the value chain.

Recycling Industrial Waste Energy (February 2009): Many industrial processes discard exhaust heat, combustible gases, and other “waste” energy. These highly recoverable resources can be harnessed to generate electricity, thus saving energy costs, reducing CO2 emissions, creating new jobs, and protecting existing jobs by increasing productivity and competitiveness. We use a value chain lens to present the technology, break it down into its main materials and components, identify companies and their locations, and give examples of the associated jobs. We believe this series is a useful starting point to explore opportunities for U.S. job growth and technology leadership in the new, carbon-constrained global economy. The Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness prepared the 2008 report for five sponsors: Environmental Defense Fund, the Building and Construction Trades Department (AFL-CIO), Industrial Union Council (AFL-CIO), International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, and United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters"