The political economy of governance in a ‘global value chain world’

ABSTRACT

The global political economy has come to be shaped by a historically novel form of industrial organisation, the global value chain (GVC). Yet, although there has been much attention both to GVCs and to global governance, there has been a great deal less that connects the two. This symposium aims to take a step towards redressing this situation in order to move towards a better understanding of the political economy of governance in a ‘GVC world’. This introductory essay outlines the aims of the Symposium as being (a) to advance a more encompassing vision of politics and agency in a GVC world, (b) to understand the implications of a GVC world for global economic governance and (c) to move beyond empirical description and conceptual characterisation of forms of governance towards more explicit normative considerations of their implications for more equitable and sustainable outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• Governance
• global value chains
• production
• states
• global economic governance

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Frederick W. Mayer is Professor of Public Policy, Political Science, and Environment, and Associate Dean for Strategy and Innovation, at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. Mayer also directs the Sanford School’s Center on Political Leadership, Innovation and Service (POLIS) and Program on Global Policy and Governance in Geneva. Mayer teaches courses on the political economy of public policy, globalisation and governance, policy analysis, political analysis and leadership. His current research focuses on global policy and governance, particularly on the implications of global value chains for policy, as well as on the politics of climate change and the power of narrative in politics. Mayer’s most recent book is Narrative Politics: Stories and Collective Action (Oxford University Press).

Nicola Phillips is Professor of Political Economy and the Head of the Department of Politics at the University of Sheffield. She works in the field of global political economy, with interests focusing on global economic governance, inequality, labour in global production, and migration and development. Her recent books include Development (with Anthony Payne, Polity, 2010), and, as editor, The Handbook of the International Political Economy of Governance (with Anthony Payne, Edward Elgar, 2014). Recent articles have appeared in such journals as Globalizations, Review of International Political Economy, Economy and Society and Third World Quarterly.

Anne C. Posthuma is Senior Employment Policy Specialist in the Brazil Office of the International Labour Organization. She is responsible for research, policy advice and technical cooperation in the areas of employment policies, formalisation of the informal economy and productive development policies. Her research has focused on governance structures to promote improved working conditions and labour rights in global value chains, including Labour in Global Production Networks in India (Oxford University Press, edited with Dev Nathan). She holds a PhD from the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex.