World Investment Report 2019

Covid - 19 has affected global value chains (GVCs) and firms’ behaviours within GVCs to a large extent. Firms need to find flexible solutions to stabilize production and rethink value chain governance and supplier relationships. Thus, GVCs recover from the initial shock, and the GVCs reconfiguration becomes essential for managers. We reviewed recent literature focusing on the GVCs, the role of governance and Covid – 19 effects on it as well as the regionalization trend. Thus, this study aims to give empirical evidence on the reconfiguration of GVCs, particularly the changes in the structure of suppliers in the global apparel industry, by using the Bloomberg Supply Chain Analysis tool in the period of 2017-2021. We analysed the structural changes in selected leading apparel multinational companies’ GVCs - Industria de Diseno Textil, S.A. (Inditex), Hennes &Mauritz AB (H & M) and adidas AG. The findings provide insights on the current state of the theoretically discussed and widely expected regionalization trend in GVCs. The study concludes that two out of three cases provide evidence indicating an ongoing trend toward GVCs regionalization. The contribution of this study consists of empirical evidence of the changes in GVCs supplier structure in the apparel industry in response to pandemic global business environment. Practical implications and recommendations for businesses and policy makers are related to the revealed theories and testable models by using Bloomberg’s Supply Chain Analysis data and linking causes and effects of the GVCs regionalization processes.

Modern dietary habits in communities are linked and are part of the global food supply chain. To achieve sustainable food production and consumption, communicating the impact associated with food production and dietary choices at community level to consumers is important. However, previous footprint studies have primarily focussed on food consumption at the national level and neglected community–level consumption activities. This study surveyed the diets of a small island community and linked the results with multi-region land footprint analysis in Ollei Village, Republic of Palau. The analysis was used to determine the extent to which the dietary lifestyles of communities depend on external land use through the global supply chain. We showed that the global food supply chain has reached this corner of the world, and the dietary habits of the community are already heavily dependent on processed and imported foods. The community and country are highly dependent on large land use in some major producer/exporting countries through the global food supply chain. In addition, the amount of external land used for food production exceeds the biocapacity of the agricultural land in the community and country. This study bridges the gap between community–level consumption activities and national-scale footprint analysis, and quantitatively assesses the impact of consumption activities at the community level on the global environment. The results and approach of this study could contribute to the development and implementation of vertically integrated food policies between the national and community level in Palau.

As China's special economic zone and technological innovation center, Shenzhen enjoys a high reputation at home and abroad. This study aims to observe overseas media reports on Shenzhen in recent years and explore its image construction through the method of combining corpus and critical discourse analysis. Based on the NOW corpus created by Brigham Young University in the United States, we find that the discourse construction of overseas media around Shenzhen stems from the image of its special economic zone and technological innovation. As a microcosm of China's reform and opening up, Shenzhen is portrayed as a modern, innovative and dynamic city. By analyzing the reports in the corpus, we find that overseas media mainly focus on Shenzhen's technology industry, innovation and entrepreneurship environment, and economic development mode. Shenzhen's status as China's technological innovation hub and its importance in global value chains are frequently mentioned in the reports. In addition, overseas media have also paid attention to Shenzhen's urban planning, environmental protection and international cooperation. Overall, overseas media coverage of Shenzhen presents a positive, modern image, emphasizing its importance and influence on the global stage. As a successful model of China's reform and opening up, Shenzhen is gradually becoming the focus of international attention, showing its charm and vitality as a modern city.

Special economic zones (SEZs) in India have been in news due to their usefulness vis-à-vis adverse effects on economy. A good number of opponents opine that costs incurred by SEZs outweigh the benefits. However, it cannot be denied that SEZs have played a positive role in the welfare of the economy. Thus, to examine this issue, we carried out a social benefit–cost analysis (SBCA) on Noida Special Economic Zone (NSEZ) within the context of enclave model for the period of 2009–2016. The result shows the positive net present value and benefit–cost ratio greater than one under methodological assumptions. This infers that NSEZ is contributing towards the welfare of Indian economy. One interesting findings of the study is that NSEZ is generating positive gains to economy with the absence of various market distortions which could otherwise reduce the realised benefits. Hence, need arises to eliminate such distortions from outside area of economy also to make it competitive at global level. Therefore, it can be concluded that competitiveness of the Indian economy can be enhanced with the removal of market distortions and liberalisation of rules, regulation and policies for economic development activities. Hence, the Government of India should emphasise and make regulations and policies that encourage competitiveness of the industries. JEL Classification: D04, D61, F13, H2, J01

This paper is a paper in a series of work on Global Value Chains (GVCs), developed under the auspices of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission. It builds upon the theoretical discussion presented in the first two papers and offers a new methodological approach for mapping GVCs, using a bespoke dataset of the most innovative biopharma MNEs. The paper takes the example of the global biopharma value chain and describes the step-by-step procedure for mapping interconnected capabilities at a global scale, the concentration of biopharma capabilities in Europe, and two cases of regional and national specialisation in this sector. The proposed methodological approach contains two distinctive methodologies – for top-down global value chain mapping of an established industry sector (such as biopharma), and for a bottom-up mapping of capabilities within the GVC that operate at specific locations. Both methodologies can be applied to emerging sectors and segments driven by key enabling technologies, such as photonics, advanced materials, 3D printing, or renewable energy, or any other cross-sectoral value chains. The paper includes two cases of application of this methodology at regional and national level. These are the cases of Bulgaria and the Greater South East of England in the UK. The novel methodology and methods for data collection and visualisation demonstrate the linkages across segments of the biopharmaceutical GVC and the position of firms at the cross-section of biotechnology discovery and pharmaceutical drug development and manufacturing activities, managing a complex network of outsourcing, insourcing and supply relationships, through a vast empire of subsidiaries around the world. Capturing and representing the value-chain within biopharma MNEs enables policy makers to understand the complexity of industry organisation across multiple locations around the world and the global knowledge and resource linkages that drive further growth in the sector.

Recent years have seen a proliferation of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in developed and developing countries. Developed in Europe in its modern shape, most SEZs are located outside the continent today, notably in the developing world, where SEZs form part of these countries’ export-oriented growth policy tools and overall economic development. At a period of growing unilateralism and the return of the State as an economic actor, this contribution seeks to tackle the rise of SEZ laws in the global south, with a particular focus on Africa. It will scrutinize the reasons for their establishment, the measures chosen to promote them, and the international ramifications in these respective regions and broadly on the global plane, notably at the WTO. With the entry into force of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement, African countries face challenges of multi-layered SEZ governance, which this contribution intends to address. These challenges also extend to the cross-regional trade agreements these countries conclude, individually and as a bloc. Since SEZs are often assimilated with a category of subsidies and are discriminatory trade measures, this contribution, in essence, investigates the extent to which current trade rules at multilateral and regional levels address these controversial aspects of SEZs.

This article reassesses the classic thesis linking the globalization of production to union decline. Our argument is three-fold. First, prior literature does not appreciate how the exchange conditions characterizing global value chain (GVC) relations between leading firms in rich democracies and supplier firms in less developed countries (LDCs) can undermine unionization through trade. Second, the worldwide entrenchment of GVCs as an organizational form over time, and cross-national variation in the strength and scope of two key labor market institutions (wage-coordination and Ghent systems), should moderate the effect of LDC trade on unionization. Third, trade with LDCs is endogenous in models of union decline, because high unionization often leads to offshoring. Empirically, we use an instrumental variable (IV) design and a panel dataset covering the longest historical period studied to date. IV estimates suggest that trade with LDCs reduces unionization in rich democracies; these estimates are nearly three times as large as results obtained by OLS, and they increase in size as GVCs entrench worldwide. Estimates also weaken in countries with highly coordinated wage-setting institutions and Ghent systems. Nevertheless, conditional effects and counterfactual histories suggest that GVCs cause union decline even in countries with the most union-friendly institutions, and were more important for union decline overall than either wage-coordination or Ghent systems.

Research Article| August 01 1997 Proximity and Complementarity in Hong Kong-Shenzhen Industrialization Weiping Wu Weiping Wu Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Asian Survey (1997) 37 (8): 771–793. https://doi.org/10.2307/2645449 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Weiping Wu; Proximity and Complementarity in Hong Kong-Shenzhen Industrialization. Asian Survey 1 August 1997; 37 (8): 771–793. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/2645449 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAsian Survey Search This content is only available via PDF. Copyright 1997 The Regents of the University of California Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Better information on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and mitigation potential in the agricultural sector is necessary to manage these emissions and identify responses that are consistent with the food security and economic development priorities of countries. Critical activity data (what crops or livestock are managed in what way) are poor or lacking for many agricultural systems, especially in developing countries. In addition, the currently available methods for quantifying emissions and mitigation are often too expensive or complex or not sufficiently user friendly for widespread use.The purpose of this focus issue is to capture the state of the art in quantifying greenhouse gases from agricultural systems, with the goal of better understanding our current capabilities and near-term potential for improvement, with particular attention to quantification issues relevant to smallholders in developing countries. This work is timely in light of international discussions and negotiations around how agriculture should be included in efforts to reduce and adapt to climate change impacts, and considering that significant climate financing to developing countries in post-2012 agreements may be linked to their increased ability to identify and report GHG emissions (Murphy et al 2010, CCAFS 2011, FAO 2011).

Recently, with the increasing trend of anti-globalization, China's manufacturing industry has encountered instability in the supply of upstream products in international trade, a challenge that has given rise to an urgent demand for ways to improve China's position in the global production chain. In response to this challenge, the 14th Five-Year Plan puts forward the strategic goal of building multi-level, multi-node, networked city clusters and trade powerhouses, which provides new development opportunities for China to strengthen its position in the global production chain through the model of polycentric agglomeration. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of polycentric agglomeration on the position of enterprises in the global production chain, this project will use the instrumental variable estimation method to conduct an empirical study. This method can help us accurately identify the causal relationship between polycentric agglomeration and global production chain position and assess the differential impact of different agglomeration patterns on firms' production chain position. Through this study, we expect to reveal how polycentric agglomeration can enhance firms' global production chain positions through mechanisms such as optimizing resource allocation, promoting technological innovation, and strengthening industrial chain synergies. In addition, we plan to explore the impact of polycentric agglomeration on the evolution of firms' roles in global value chains and on international trade competitiveness. The objective of this study is to provide targeted recommendations for policymakers and enterprises to help them achieve high-quality development of China's manufacturing industry by optimizing the structure of polycentric agglomeration in the context of global production chain restructuring. Through this comprehensive study, we expect to provide scientific decision support and action guidelines for China's sustainable upgrading and competitiveness enhancement in global production chains.

Special economic zones are a flexible policy tool to attract foreign direct investment for economic diversification and upgrading. Success, however, is not guaranteed—there are many examples of zones where the cost–benefit analysis does not add up or just never took off. Experience across countries shows that understanding the conditions for setting up special economic zones is key for successful performance, as are complementary trade, education, and infrastructure policies. In addition, emerging technologies, policy repositioning, and sustainability trends reshaping the global business landscape impact special economic zones and their role in attracting investment. In this rapidly changing trade and investment context, Latin American governments and firms can build on these experiences to unlock the potential of nearshoring, increased services trade, e-commerce, new country sources of investment, and sustainability repositioning, while managing potential risks.

Background:In 2015, the UN General Assembly set Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in which SDG 3.2 called for all countries to reach a neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1000 live births by 2030. As the SDG era enters its final years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, it is time to take stock of worldwide trends in terms of neonatal mortality and progress towards SDG target 3.2. We aimed to evaluate the time trends in neonatal mortality from 1990 to 2023 with projections towards SDG target 3.2 at the global, regional, and national levels.Materials and methods:Annual neonatal deaths and neonatal mortality rate (NMR) between 1990 and 2023 at the global, regional, and national levels were collected from a dataset complied by the UN Inter-agency group for Child Mortality Estimation. The percentage changes in neonatal deaths and the estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) in NMRs at the global, regional, and national levels were calculated. The year in which the location with an NMR above 12 deaths per 1000 live births would achieve the SDG 3.2 NMR target was estimated using time-series analyses.Results:Globally, the number of neonatal deaths decreased by 56.42% from 5.24 million in 1990 to 2.28 million in 2023 and the NMR decreased by an average of 2.54% (95% CI: 2.44%, 2.63%) per year from 36.70 deaths per 1000 live births in 1990 to 17.33 deaths per 1000 live births in 2023. The global NMR is expected to achieve SDG target 3.2 by 2036. At the regional level, the NMR decreased significantly in all SDG regions between 1990 and 2023 but remained above SDG target 3.2 in Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and Southern Asia, and Western Asia and Northern Africa, with NMRs of 26.41, 20.74, and 12.80 deaths per 1000 live births in 2023, respectively. Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia are projected to reach the SDG 3.2 target by 2068 and 2041, respectively. At the national level, the NMR increased significantly in Dominica (EAPC = 3.95; 95% CI: 3.74, 4.17), Botswana (EAPC = 1.92; 95% CI: 1.14, 2.70), Grenada (EAPC = 1.06; 95% CI: 0.48, 1.63), and Eswatini (EAPC = 0.32; 95% CI: 0.19, 0.44) between 1990 and 2023. Among the 200 countries and territories worldwide, 125 have already met SDG target 3.2, and 7 are expected to do so by 2030. Of the remaining 68 countries that would not achieve SDG target 3.2 by 2030, 11 would meet it between 2031 and 2040, 12 would meet it between 2041 and 2050, and 37 would meet it after 2050, if the average rate of decline from 1990 to 2023 continues; however, the NMR would be deteriorating in Dominica, Botswana, Grenada, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Dominican Republic, and Fiji.Conclusions:Despite substantial progress in reducing the NMR worldwide since 1990, more than a quarter of countries and territories would miss SDG target 3.2 by 2030, and nearly half of those countries and territories would meet SDG target 3.2 after 2050. Urgent actions are needed in most regions and countries with high NMRs, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa.

IntroductionAn accurate understanding of total energy intake, energy requirements for healthy body weights and the resultant imbalance is important for many aspects of dietary analysis. Despite its importance, existing estimates are highly uncertain and not well aligned with trends in body weight and malnutrition, especially at regionally comparable and global levels. We estimated energy intake, energy requirements and energy imbalances at global, regional, national and sociodemographic levels based on anthropometric measures.MethodsWe used predictive equations for estimating energy requirements derived from a comprehensive database of doubly labelled water studies, and paired them with global datasets on body weight, height and physical activity to estimate a new proxy of energy intake. We calculated energy requirements to attain healthy body weights by applying the predictive equations to a body mass index that minimises risks for weight-related diseases and is classified as normal. We calculated energy imbalances as the difference between the estimated intake and energy requirements to attain healthy body weights.ResultsOn average, 2160 kilocalories per person per day (kcal/day) were required in 2020 to sustain measured levels of body weight, height and physical activity (95% CI, 2100 to 2210 kcal/day), ranging from 1980 (95% CI, 1900 to 2060) kcal/day in low-income countries to 2360 (95% CI, 2310 to 2410) kcal/day in high-income countries. The estimated intake exceeded energy requirements to attain healthy body weights by 80 (95% CI, 70 to 100) kcal/day on average, with 192 countries (97%) having average intakes above recommendations, and 6 countries (3%) with intake below, and increasing to 14 (7%) when considering rural residences. Between 1990 and 2020, 50 countries (25%) changed from average intakes below recommendations to intakes above.ConclusionsEstimating total energy intake based on anthropometric measures captures the regional and temporal trends in body weight, height and physical activity. The estimates can be used as a complementary measure to existing proxies of energy intake. Among other things, they can inform misreporting of intake in dietary surveys, uncertainty in the amount of food wasted and the lack of data on at-home production in food availability statistics. Aligning existing measures of food intake with consistent estimates of overall energy intake could improve dietary analyses and policy planning.

Local Economic Zones For Economic Development

LDCs' trade patterns changed in the past decade, thanks to the rebalancing of global demand towards large emerging countries and the resulting cycle of high international commodity prices. This process led to a wider geographical diversification of LDCs' exports but contributed also to a greater reliance on those highly priced commodities. Notwithstanding some progress in market and product diversification — including services — LDCs remain particularly vulnerable to external shocks. With the exception of 2006-2008, the LDCs as a group have systematically recorded a trade deficit. The 2008-2009 global crisis and the bumpy recovery which followed illustrate the volatility of the recent trends. In such a perspective, renewed efforts towards extensive product diversification are called for. Fostering diversification has been supported for many years by preferential market access to developed countries; more recently, emerging countries have also been granting such preferences to LDCs products. Preferential market access remains relevant, but is not sufficient to improve the supply-side capabilities. The new business model related to global value chains (GVC) offers new opportunities to LDCs for export diversification. But GVC participation cannot materialize without a proper trade environment. Some of the main obstacles for joining GVCs are the high transaction costs in importing the necessary inputs and exporting the processed goods. Active trade facilitation programmes, such as those identified during the Fourth Global Review of Aid for Trade in July 2013 offer new options to LDCs for joining GVCs. For those LDCs that have already been able to join these global production network, up-grading towards higher "value-added" activities requires more encompassing horizontal policies.