Global value chains (GVCs) are the result of the strategic decisions of firms to offshore and geographically disperse value-adding activities on a global scale for the realization of goods and services. This form of industrial organization of production took its first steps in the late 1970s and gained great importance in the second half of the 1990s, up to the point that GVCs have been defined as the “backbone and central nervous system” of the world economy. Recently, disruptive events like the US-China trade war, the Covid-19 pandemic, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have further highlighted the key role played by GVCs for the production and distribution of products and the crucial importance of investigating their functioning and evolution.

GVCs have drawn the attention of scholars from several fields of research, including international economics, economic geography, international business, and managerial studies. This part of the course, entitled Economics of GVCs: theory and evidence, will adopt an economics perspective.

Economics of GVCs: theory and evidence. The lectures in this part aim to provide the theoretical tools necessary to critically analyze the rise of GVCs and their implications for countries, industries and regions in terms of economic and technological development, as well as their consequences on income distribution. Special attention will be paid to the mechanisms through which the value generated in GVCs can result unequally captured across high- and low-income countries as well as among social groups. From an empirical point of view, emphasis will be placed on the challenges raised by the measurement of GVCs at country, industry and regional level, and an overview of the different data sources and approaches adopted in the literature will be offered.

- Knowledge and understanding abilities: The course will yield abilities to collect and understand information on the different dimensions of globalisation: international movements of persons, goods and services, capital and knowledge. Learning activities will include: lectures, seminars, discussions of case studies, homeworks, papers and class work.

- Knowledge and applied abilities: students will have to apply the acquired knowledge in a comprehensive and flexible way, use concepts methods and interpretive models to data and statistics as well as to different analytical frameworks.Learning activities will include: lectures, seminars, discussions of case studies, homeworks, papers and class work.

- Autonomy of judgement: Students will have to connect different bits of knowledge and deal with complex issues in an autonomous way and developing a critical ability. Learning activities will include: lectures, seminars, discussions of case studies, homeworks, papers and class work.

- Communication abilities: Students will have to develop abilities to approprately communicate the concepts and facts illustrated and discussed during classwork. Learning activities will include: lectures, seminars, discussions of case studies, homeworks, papers and class work.

- Learning abilities: Students will have to develop good learning abilities that will enable them to deepen their knowledge of globalisation issues in subsequent academic and professional experiences. Learning activities will include: lectures, seminars, discussions of case studies, homeworks, papers and class work

Il materiale didattico predisposto dalla/dal docente in aggiunta ai testi consigliati (come ad esempio diapositive, dispense, esercizi, bibliografia) e le comunicazioni della/del docente specifiche per l'insegnamento sono reperibili all'interno della piattaforma Moodle › blended.uniurb.it

Modalità didattiche

The course includes lectures, classroom discussions and seminars.

Didattica innovativa

Students will be required to actively attend class and are expected to write a paper on a topic among those covered in one of the two parts of the course (economics and managerial), or a paper linking selected topics covered in the two parts of the course.

Obblighi

Attendance is compulsory for students who choose to take this module.

Testi di studio

Suggested readings:

• Baldwin, R. (2012). “Global Supply Chains. Why They Emerged, Why They Matter, and Where They Are Going.” Working paper FGI-2012-1, Fung Global Institute, July. (Later published in World Trade Organization and Temasek Foundation Centre for Trade & Negotiations (eds.), Global Value Chains in a Changing World, Ch. 1, pp. 13-59, 2013). Available at: https://www.asiaglobalinstitute.hku.hk/storage/app/media/pdf/richard-baldwin.pdf
• Coveri, A., & Zanfei, A. 2022. Functional division of labour and value capture in global value chains: A new empirical assessment based on FDI data. Review of International Political Economy. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09692290.2022.2152074
• Coveri, A., & Zanfei, A. 2023. The virtues and limits of specialization in global value chains: Analysis and policy implications. Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, 50(1), 73–90.
• Feenstra, R. C., & Taylor, A. M. (2016). International Trade. 4th edition, Chapter 7 (“Offshoring of Goods and Services”), pp. 312-360.

Additional readings and further material will be delivered by the lecturers before the lessons.

Modalità di
accertamento

The final evaluation of this course will be based on the following: (a) attendance; (b) classwork; (c) a paper on a topic chosen by the student from among those covered in one of the two parts of the course, or a paper linking selected topics covered in the two parts of the course. Further information about the short essay (selected topics, lenght of the essay, ecc.) will be delivered in class.

Disabilità e DSA

Le studentesse e gli studenti che hanno registrato la certificazione di disabilità o la certificazione di DSA presso l'Ufficio Inclusione e diritto allo studio, possono chiedere di utilizzare le mappe concettuali (per parole chiave) durante la prova di esame.

A tal fine, è necessario inviare le mappe, due settimane prima dell’appello di esame, alla o al docente del corso, che ne verificherà la coerenza con le indicazioni delle linee guida di ateneo e potrà chiederne la modifica.

Modalità didattiche

Same as for attending students.

Obblighi

Same as for attending students.

Testi di studio

Same as for attending students.

Modalità di
accertamento

Same as for attending students.

Disabilità e DSA

Le studentesse e gli studenti che hanno registrato la certificazione di disabilità o la certificazione di DSA presso l'Ufficio Inclusione e diritto allo studio, possono chiedere di utilizzare le mappe concettuali (per parole chiave) durante la prova di esame.

A tal fine, è necessario inviare le mappe, due settimane prima dell’appello di esame, alla o al docente del corso, che ne verificherà la coerenza con le indicazioni delle linee guida di ateneo e potrà chiederne la modifica.