This is a background paper to the 2014 World Development Report. Risk is inherent to the pursuit of opportunity. This paper surveys the recent literature and looks at the risks and opportunities firms and their workers face in the global value chains. First, it examines the risk-sharing...

Global value chains (GVCs) are changing the way trade is conducted and value is created and captured. As more trade is organized through close coordination between buyers and suppliers, moving to high value-added activities, or economic upgrading, is critically determined by lead firms,...

The rise of private food standards has brought forth an ongoing debate about whether they work as a barrier for smallholders and hinder poverty reduction in developing countries. This paper uses a global value chain approach to explain the relationship between value chain structure and agrifood...

Multinational pharmaceutical corporations are searching for means to broaden their capacity for drug development while decreasing costs. Pharmaceutical firms in India and China are increasingly forging partnerships with these corporations to gain revenue and to develop their own expertise. These...

This paper examines the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on resilience. We argue that resilience is not a one-dimensional concept but has different meanings at the levels of the firm (operational efficiency), global value chains (appropriate governance), and the nation-state (national security)....

The burgeoning literature on global value chains (GVCs) has recast our understanding of how industrial clusters are shaped by their ties to the international economy, but within this context, the role played by corporate social responsibility (CSR) continues to evolve. New research in the past...

This paper examines evidence on the potential and the conditions under which public-private partnerships can bring about inclusive development. It addresses the three main debates surrounding the potential of PPPs: the alignment of business and pro-poor development interests; the actors and...

Wal-Mart has been both praised and pilloried as a template for twenty-first century capitalism. Therein lies the challenge in analyzing the world's largest retailer. We examine the sociological impact of Wal-Mart in terms of four themes: its business model and organizational structure, the dual...

Mobile phones have made a significant impact on developing countries, which have played a key role in the mobile phone global value chain (GVC). The dynamic of the GVC, notably growing concentration in trade and production and the rise of low-end markets, is shaping the impact of economic...

In recent years, global value chains have played an increasing role in business strategies, profoundly affecting international trade and development paradigms. Global value chains now represent a major source of socio-upgrading opportunities and a new path for development. Trade, competitiveness...