The past decades have witnessed a rapid globalisation of economic activity which has significantly changed the outlook of the world economy. An increasing number of firms, countries and other economic actors take part in today's global economy and have become increasingly connected across...

World trade and production are increasingly structured around “global value chains” (GVCs). The last years have witnessed a growing number of case studies describing at the product level how production is internationally fragmented, but there is little evidence at the aggregate level on the...

Advances in digital technologies are transforming the way firms function, how they are structured and the manner in which they compete. This paper contributes to our understanding of digital technology usage by assessing changing patterns in the use of hardware and software and identifying the...

The rapid growth of global value chains (GVCs) has been an important driver of globalisation during the past decades. But the international fragmentation of production appears to have lost momentum and GVCs seem to have stalled in recent years. The world economy is facing a number of structural...

In analyzing firm entry and exit across Belgian manufacturing industries, this paper presents evidence that import competition and foreign direct investment discourage entry and stimulate exit of domestic entrepreneurs. These results are in line with theoretical occupational choice models, where...

In analyzing the distinctive contribution of foreign subsidiaries and domestic firms to productivity growth in aggregate Belgian manufacturing, this paper shows that foreign ownership is an important source of firm heterogeneity affecting productivity dynamics. Foreign firms have contributed...

World trade and production are increasingly structured around “global value chains” (GVCs). The last years have witnessed a growing number of case studies describing at the product level how production is internationally fragmented, but there is little evidence at the aggregate level on the...

World trade and production are increasingly structured around “global value chains” (GVCs). The last years have witnessed a growing number of case studies describing at the product level how production is internationally fragmented, but there is little evidence at the aggregate level on the...

edited by Reinhilde Veugelers Publication Launch 'Manufacturing Europe's Future' 'Industrial policy is back!â?? This is the message given in the European Commissionâ??s October 2012 communication on industrial policy (COM(2012) 582 final), which seeks to reverse the declining role of the...