Global value chains and development: Redefining the contours of 21st century capitalism
- PDF / 121,718 Bytes
- 4 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 63 Downloads / 248 Views
BOOK REVIEW
Global value chains and development: Redefining the contours of 21st century capitalism Gary Gereffi Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2018, 494 pp. ISBN: 978-1108458863
Reviewed by Sarah E McWilliam1 and Bo Bernhard Nielsen2 1
The University of Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning, Sydney, Australia; 2 The University of Sydney Business School, Sydney, Australia
Journal of International Business Studies (2020). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-020-00303-3
Gary Gereffi’s book on global value chains (GVCs) and development provides insights into a research paradigm that is co-evolving with related formal and informal institutions. As well as being one of the founders of the GVC framework and director of the Global Value Chains Center at Duke University, Gary Gereffi remains one of the leading scholars on the topic. This book draws on the breadth and depth of his knowledge to distil a carefully orchestrated selection of research papers that capture the emergence, enrichment and future directions of the GVC framework. Evolution is a central theme that makes this book far greater than the sum of its parts. Evolution is a common thread, first, because the book’s chapters document milestones in the development of GVC theory and its application. Second, the author conveys the key message that decades of changes in the geography and structure of GVCs point to fundamental interdependencies with the political and socio-economic dynamics of capitalism. While the book is ultimately focused on development outcomes for locations, multinational corporations and their international networks are pivotal to the actor-centred approach of the GVC framework. Hence, this book is important to the field of international business and relevant to readers of this journal. Breadth of content and a wide-reaching interdisciplinary appeal are key strengths of the book. Its material will interest academics, policy-makers and practitioners alike. The broad audience for the book is implied from its first chapter, which will draw in all three groups of readers. This original opening chapter introduces the ideas, institutions, and research communities that underpinned the emergence of GVC theory. Gereffi animates this journey through a dense theoretical narrative of modernization, dependency, and world systems theories with personal reflections and
Book review
anecdotes. These include his experiences of related institutional and policy research, which illustrate the pragmatic applications of the framework. The result is an accessible and engaging overview of the book’s origins. This introduction is followed by three main parts that group articles to guide the reader into a deeper understanding of the literature. Articles in Part I of the book focus on the foundations of the GVC framework and include some of Gereffi’s most highly cited work on governance and upgrading. As such, these articles may be considered the core introductory reading for IB and strategy scholars whose research intersects with GVC theory. Part II
Data Loading...
