Value chain analysis: a tool for enhancing export supply policies

Mainstream economics and the agenda promoted by Washington Consensus institutions focuses on the role played by markets. In recent years, this policy agenda has been concentrated on a series of behind-, beyond- and between-the-border trade-related issues. Whilst valuable, this agenda fails to address some of the major determinants of export supply in developing economies. By contrast, the value chain framework provides a rich agenda for the design and implementation of policies designed to enhance export supply. These issues are addressed in this paper through a discussion of the dynamics of rent and rent appropriation, the growing role of standards and turnkey production. Contemporary global value chains are in a state of flux, with a reduced likelihood of capability-building supply chain programmes in low-income economies outside of Asia.