Making global value chains visible: Transnational corporations versus domestically owned firms

Yuning Gao, Bo Meng, Gabriele Suder, Jiabai Ye and Yongping Sun

UNCTAD Transnational Corporations Journal

Abstract: This paper aims to advance research on transnational corporations (TNCs) and international business policy by identifying the role and influence of foreign-owned TNCs in global value chains (GVCs) compared with those of domestically owned firms. We do this by dividing the topology of trade in value added (TiVA) into three networks composed, respectively, of traditional trade, simple GVC trade and complex GVC trade, based on the OECD intercountry input-output data for 2005–2016. Our empirical results show that China’s domestically owned firms have not only been supply centres of manufacturing value added, but have also risen as new regional centres of both supply and demand for services through simple GVC networks. Domestically owned firms of the United States dominate GVCs in services as a global center for both demand and supply, especially in complex GVC networks. TNCs located in Germany and the United Kingdom have a dominant presence in providing value added in manufacturing and services, respectively, through complex GVC networks. By making GVCs visible through TiVA-based network analyses, this paper significantly extends the understanding of who dominates what types of GVC. This will help policymakers better monitor and enhance their GVC governance and competitiveness strategies in more flexible and diversified ways.

Date: 2023-04-27
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/diaeia2023d1a1_en.pdf?repec (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:unc:tncjou:99

Access Statistics for this article

UNCTAD Transnational Corporations Journal is currently edited by Kumi Endo

More articles in UNCTAD Transnational Corporations Journal from United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Kumi Endo ().