The organization of production processes into a chain of production stages that could be located in different countries, each of which provide a unique advantage, has become a defining characteristic of international trade. Industrial development, the movement of intermediate products, and the trading of final goods and services are inextricably linked to global value chains. Global value chain analysis is useful in providing a comprehensive overview of an entire industry, identifying an individual firm or country’s position in the global value chain, and mapping how the firm or country may upgrade to capture more value along this value chain. This book presents various case studies which analyse some of the prevalent constraints experienced in industries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states. In addition, it identifies practical policy recommendations which can be used to address such challenges, and allow the member states to capture more value from their industries’ global value chains. It addresses issues such as the declining preferences in agriculture value chains, the feasibility of enhancing the economic contribution of the maritime industry, the urgency for climate-resilient strategies in the banana industry, and the need for local content policy to create an appropriate framework to capture a fair share of value from the hydrocarbon industry. Given the persistence of challenges, the lack of upgrading, and the dearth of research conducted on value chains in the CARICOM region, this book can serve as a basis upon which governments and regional organizations may adopt policy recommendations to address trade and investment-related challenges, and increase the member states’ effective participation in international trade.

Global value chains (GVCs) powered the surge of international trade after 1990 and now account for almost half of all trade. This shift enabled an unprecedented economic convergence: poor countries grew rapidly and began to catch up with richer countries. Since the 2008 global financial crisis, however, the growth of trade has been sluggish and the expansion of GVCs has stalled. Meanwhile, serious threats have emerged to the model of trade-led growth. New technologies could draw production closer to the consumer and reduce the demand for labor. And trade conflicts among large countries could lead to a retrenchment or a segmentation of GVCs. World Development Report 2020: Trading for Development in the Age of Global Value Chains examines whether there is still a path to development through GVCs and trade. It concludes that technological change is, at this stage, more a boon than a curse. GVCs can continue to boost growth, create better jobs, and reduce poverty provided that developing countries implement deeper reforms to promote GVC participation; industrial countries pursue open, predictable policies; and all countries revive multilateral cooperation.

Does enterprise participation in global markets ensure sustainable income growth? Policies have often been designed in the belief that this is true, but competitiveness and participation in international markets may take very different forms, and developing countries do not always benefit. This book presents a series of rich and original field studies from Latin America, conducted by the authors with the same consistent methodological approach, and represents a theory-generating exercise within clusters and economic development literature. The main question addressed is how Latin American small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may participate in global markets in ways that provide for sustainable income growth, the “high road” to competitiveness. In contrast, the “low road” is often typically followed by small firms from developing countries, which often compete by squeezing wages and revenues rather than by increasing productivity, salaries, and profits.

This conference proceedings highlights the key risks and opportunities that policy makers need to address relative to fisheries globalisation so that on the one hand, the opportunities that are created are not missed while, on the other, the risks are addressed appropriately.

TheToolkit for vulnerability and capacity assessments in Caribbean coastal and fishing communities is aimed at national fisheries authorities and other related government agencies, civil society organizations, including fisherfolk organizations, and other technical partners looking for practical tools that can be applied at the local level to inform climate change adaptation planning and action. This document represents a sub-set of the web-based version.

This report is about a huge contribution to our deepening understanding of what the global economy really means and how it is changing. The report helpfully distinguishes elements of an economy that are tradable and the large set that are non-tradable. Clearly the tradables set is expanding with the support of enabling technology. The report argues that connectivity in the networks that define the evolving architecture of GVCs is important. This Global Value Chain Development Report is the result of intensive and detailed work in assembling and analyzing data on the structure of economies and on how they are linked. It creates a much clearer picture of evolving patterns of independence. It also presents a much clearer picture of comparative advantage. --Publisher description.

In the current context of climate change, focusing on gender equality in the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) can drive improvements in resilience, food security and nutrition. This document seeks to enrich the knowledge and evidence base on gender, food systems and resilience in the SIDS of the Caribbean, the Pacific, and the Atlantic, Indian Ocean and South China Sea (AIS) region, providing evidence from Barbados, Cabo Verde, Comoros (the), Palau, Saint Lucia, Samoa and Sao Tome and Principe. It focuses specifically on gender-related roles, gender gaps and traditional knowledge in agriculture and natural resource management to better support women’s participation in value chains and the benefits they receive from value chain development. It calls for radical transformations to build resilient livelihoods, overcome gender inequalities and help rural women and men reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters. Furthermore, the transformations called for, which focus on gender equity, will increase the resilience of rural livelihoods to unforeseen events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in view of the critical role women play in ensuring food security and nutrition.