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 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. Learning activities will include lectures, seminars, homeworks and papers.

- 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. Consistently, special emphasis will be placed on the challenges raised by the measurement of GVCs at country, industry and regional level and on the different data sources used in the literature.

- 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.

- Communication abilities: Students will have to develop abilities to approprately communicate the concepts and facts illustrated and discussed during classwork.

- Learning abilities: Students are expected to develop good learning abilities that enable them to acquire an in-depth knowledge of different aspects of globalisation, and in particular of global value chains, and to flexibly adapt this knowledge to interpret changes in the global economic landscape.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

The recommended texts are supplemented by slides. The teaching material made available by the lecturer will be available, together with other readings and support activities, in the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

The course includes lectures, classroom discussions and seminars.

Innovative teaching methods

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.

Attendance

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

Course books

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.

Assessment

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.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

The same applies as for attending students.

Course books

The same applies as for attending students.

Assessment

The same applies as for attending students.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.