This book examines China's new development policies, which seek to reposition China from export platform for a diverse array of low-cost consumer goods to technological leader in sectors linked to advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, e-commerce, and new internet-related production networks oriented to China's large domestic market. Focusing on the post-2010 period, the book shows how China's central government programs and reforms ("upgrading from above") are coupled with a wide variety of local government policies, firm strategies, and domestic economy shifts ("upgrading from below") that link China's top-down programs into industrial growth on the ground. Placing China's current development push within a global value chain (GVC) context shows how Chinese development strategies and the global economy remain intertwined. This volume brings together international GVC experts and China-based researchers who have carried out detailed fieldwork and industry specific quantitative analyses of GVCs and development with important implications for policymakers in both developed and developing economies.
"Chapters in this volume by a group of global value chain (GVC) experts provide a careful examination of the respective roles of central and local governments as well as entrepreneurs in China's dynamic growth process, especially after 2010. A useful book for understanding China's past performance, prospects for future growth, and lessons for developing countries in the uncertain globalized world."
-Justin Yifu Lin, Dean of the Institute of New Structural Economics at Peking University and former World Bank Chief Economist
"This edited volume provides a timely analysis of how China is upgrading along GVCs with concrete examples and valuable insights. It shows the Chinese economy is not simply the product of a master plan imposed by the State; the intense competitive forces that play out by various agents at the local levels are central for China's success in GVCs. It should be of interest to every scholar and policy maker concerned with China's future roles in GVCs."
-Zhi Wang, Founding Director, Research Institute on GVCs, UIBE, Beijing, China
This book examines China's new development policies, which seek to reposition the country from an export platform for an array of low-cost consumer goods to a technological leader in advanced manufacturing. Focusing on the post-2010 period, the book shows how China's central government programs and reforms ("upgrading from above") are coupled with varying local government policies, firm strategies, and domestic economy shifts ("upgrading from below") to drive this development. Understanding the goals and challenges of China's multifaceted industrial policies could not be more important in the current context of global trade tensions and major disruptions in GVCs.
Gary Gereffi is Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Director of the Global Value Chains Center at Duke University, and an originator of the GVC framework. Together with leading Duke GVC Center researchers, Penny Bamber and Karina Fernandez-Stark, the trio has contributed extensively to promoting GVC analysis and its use in policy circles. They publish and consult broadly on competitiveness issues, industrial upgrading, and economic development.
