Trade, investment and intangibles : the ABCs of global value chain-oriented policies

Located at the heart of global value chains (GVCs), intangibles are documented to have a high and rising value capture, and to depend on both agglomeration economies and global connectedness for their performance. In this paper, we study how the distinct nature of intangibles require countries to develop novel policy prescriptions to attract intangible-intensive activities and to increase the value capture of these activities. We suggest that such GVC-oriented policies fall into three categories: Attractiveness policies that aim to strengthen the appeal of a location for intangible activities; Buzz policies that intend to strengthen the local production and innovation ecosystem; and Connectedness policies that aspire to strengthen the local ecosystem’s connections to other locations. Together, they constitute the ABCs of GVC-oriented policies.