KCG Researcher Joined a Workshop on the World Development Report 2020

© GIZ/J.Baller

The World Development Report 2020 of the World Bank will address the topic of Global Value Chains (GVCs) and their role in economic development. The World Bank Group and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) organized a workshop in Berlin on January 18, 2019 to discuss the concept note of the report. During the event, numerous experts and representatives from international organizations, academia, politics, business and NGOs were given the opportunity to inspect the draft document and give their feedback to the authors. KCG Researcher, Cecília Hornok, Ph.D., also participated in the workshop as a discussant.

The key questions to discuss touched upon several aspects of GVCs and development. What policies and infrastructural investments can help less developed countries, particularly in Africa, South Asia and Latin America, to enter and upgrade in GVCs? In a world of digital trade, how can small and medium-sized enterprises be supported to improve their digital connectivity and link-in to GVCs? What policies can create the appropriate incentives for the private sector to mitigate the environmental damage associated with GVCs? How can countries upgrade their production without leaving part of their population behind? And in what ways has the emergence of complex GVCs changed the cross-border propagation of economic shocks?

These issues – many of which coincide with the research agenda of KCG – are of utmost importance in the current international economic debate. The KCG appreciates such opportunities to exchange ideas and achieve policy impact.