Gary Gereffi | |
---|---|
Born | Gary Allan Gereffi July 23, 1948 |
Spouse | Pela Gereffi [1] |
Children | 2, Emily Gereffi [2] and Karen Gereffi Goodman [3] |
Academic background | |
Education | B.A. (University of Notre Dame), M.Phil., Ph.D. (Yale University) |
Alma mater | Yale University |
Thesis | "Wonder Drugs" and Transnational Corporations in Mexico: An Elaboration and a Limiting-case Test of Dependency Theory (1980) |
Doctoral advisor | Alfred Stepan, Louis Wolf Goodman |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Sociology |
Sub-discipline | Economic sociology,economic geography,regional economics,international development |
Institutions | Duke University |
Main interests | Economic sociology,international business and development,industrial policy,global supply chain management,sustainable development |
Notable works |
|
Notable ideas | Global value chains;industry governance structures;upgrading trajectories;national and regional development strategies;empirical studies of global industries |
Gary Allan Gereffi (born July 23,1948 [4] in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania [5] ) is an American economic sociologist,policy activist,author,and academic. Gereffi is emeritus Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of the Global Value Chains Center [lower-alpha 1] at Duke University. He is one of the originators of the Global Value Chains (GVC) framework and he is known for his work on governance structures and upgrading strategies in GVCs,global commodity chain (GCCs),dependency theory,cross-regional development strategies in Latin America and East Asia,and the role of multinational corporations (MNCs) in development.
Gereffi is recognized for his significant contributions to understanding global value chains and their impact on international development policies,including extensive collaborations with diverse multilateral organizations. [lower-alpha 2] His collaboration with scholars like Raphael Kaplinsky,John Humphrey,Timothy Sturgeon,Stefano Ponte,Jennifer Bair,Joonkoo Lee and Valentina De Marchi resulted in a theoretical framework that sheds light on the complexities of globalization.
Gereffi was born in 1948 in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania to Emily and Nicky Gereffi. He graduated with a B.A. degree from the University of Notre Dame,and then went on to Yale,where he received his PhD in sociology and pursued an interdisciplinary program in international development. Mentored by scholars like Louis Wolf Goodman and Alfred Stepan,who worked on MNCs in Latin America and were familiar with dependency theory,Gereffi received funding for a two-year Foreign Area Fellowship from the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) [lower-alpha 3] to study MNCs in Mexico. There,he worked on his dissertation project which focused on MNCs in the pharmaceutical industry in Mexico. Gereffi's subsequent work at Harvard University and with the United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations in New York and the Pan American Health Organization in Washington,DC extended into policy-related studies of MNCs in the global pharmaceutical industry,laying the foundation for the governance structure and industrial upgrading pillars of the GCC and GVC paradigms in later. [6]
In 1980,Gereffi joined the faculty in the Sociology Department at Duke University. Five years later,in 1985,he became an associate professor with tenure. In 1994,he became a full Professor of Sociology at Duke and stayed there until 2018. He served as the Director of Markets and Management Studies Program at Duke from 1997 to 2003,and as the Founding Director of the Center on Globalization,Governance &Competitiveness (CGGC) from 2006 to 2018. [lower-alpha 1] Gereffi has been an Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Duke since 2018. [7]
In his book Global value chains and development:Redefining the contours of 21st century capitalism, Gereffi addresses major global economic changes spanning more than 50 years. Taking into account key historical events such as the creation of the Bretton Woods system,the rise of global supply chains,the fall of the Soviet Union,and the emergence of economic nationalism in the mid-2010s,he offers an original interpretation of fundamental transformations in global capitalism,exploring the determinants of the reorganization of the international economy and examining the winners and losers in the process.
Gereffi traces the roots of GCC studies to early dependency studies in the 1970s and 1980s. Dependency analysis focused on power dynamics,transnational structures,and strategies of MNCs,with case studies examining the roles of governments,local firms,and workers. In contrast,world-systems theory,associated with Immanuel Wallerstein,presented a hierarchical model of core,semiperipheral,and peripheral zones,with limited possibilities for autonomous national development.
The concept of commodity chains,initially introduced in the world-systems approach,became central in the co-edited volume Commodity Chains and Global Capitalism by Gereffi and Korzeniewicz (1994),marking a distinct break from world-systems theory. The emergence of the GVC paradigm is characterized by a focus on MNCs,power dynamics,the analysis of global industries,reconceptualizing the role of the state in development strategies,and institutionalizing the GVC research agenda. The study of multinational enterprises was initially underexplored but gained attention through efforts like the Multinational Enterprise Project at Harvard Business School,directed by Raymond Vernon,which emphasized MNCs as both political and economic forces,challenging conventional economic models.
Gereffi analyzes the limitations of dependency theory,particularly its lack of a comprehensive global perspective on MNCs. While dependency theorists focused on class structures and alliances in peripheral countries,they did not provide a top-down analysis of international industries. World-systems theory,while having a more global perspective,lacked detailed mechanisms and actors in its tripartite classification of core,semiperipheral,and peripheral zones. The United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations (UNCTC) played a significant role in addressing this gap by commissioning empirical studies,including Gereffi's work on the global pharmaceutical industry. These early studies commissioned by UNCTC,laid the foundation for the subsequent GCC and GVC literatures,emphasizing the policy relevance and power dynamics within specific industries. The focus on governance structures became a key concept in the subsequent GCC and GVC frameworks. [6]
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in GVCs for medical supplies,emphasizing a need for increased resilience. The traditional economic model,driven by globalization,faced challenges due to disruptions caused by the pandemic. While some argue that GVCs optimized for efficiency and lacked short-term adaptability,others point to the quick rebound of Chinese exports of personal protective equipment as evidence of resilience. The dependence on imports for essential health supplies,especially in the U.S.,highlighted the importance of reevaluating GVCs. In a 2021 article he wrote for UNIDO's Industrial Analytics Platform,Gereffi explored the movement of COVID-critical medical supplies and the interplay between reliance on imports and domestic production,emphasizing the need for a delicate balance between increased flexibility and the efficiency and welfare advantages of GVCs. The growth of medical device production in developing economies and the potential risks of reshoring were discussed,emphasizing the complexity of GVC relationships. Gereffi argued that building future resilience [8] [9] requires careful consideration of redundancy,risk management,and standardization,avoiding a complete loss of cost control. He also warned against a hasty shift from a 'just-in-time' to a 'just-in-case' economy,as it may undermine the gains associated with integrated GVCs. [10] [11] [12] [13]
On July 15,2021,Gereffi presented an oral [14] and written testimony to the Committee on Commerce,Science and Transportation of the U.S. Senate. His testimony focused on the crucial issue of "Implementing Supply Chain Resiliency." Gereffi highlighted the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global supply chains and emphasized the need for resilient supply chains to address recurrent risks from various sources,including natural events and government policies. He outlined three main themes in his testimony:the rise of global supply chains as a research field;building blocks of resilient supply chains;and recommendations for actions the U.S. federal government can take. Gereffi provided insights into the evolution of supply chain research as a field,its interdisciplinary nature,and the significance of GVC frameworks in understanding economic dynamics at various levels. The testimony emphasized the importance of a resilient supply chain for dynamic,inclusive,and sustainable economic growth. [15]
In a June 2023 interview for UNU-MERIT, [16] Gereffi reflected on his career focus and the evolution of supply chains over time. Gereffi highlighted the ongoing impact of technological revolutions,emphasizing the need for nuanced analyses that consider the uneven and fast-paced nature of technological advancements. Discussing the role of developing countries in supply chains,he emphasized the strategic value of natural resources,particularly in emerging industries like electric vehicles and semiconductors. Gereffi suggested that developing countries should invest in processing capabilities to add value to their raw materials and actively participate in GVCs. Addressing the dialogue around deglobalization,Gereffi cautioned against oversimplified approaches,noting the complexity of modern industries and the efficiencies derived from international supply chains. He also expressed optimism about innovations in the digital economy and sustainable development,specifically in areas such as recycling and distribution systems,to enhance supply chain resiliency in the face of challenges like climate change. [17]
On March 13,2023,the University of Padova awarded Gereffi an Honorary Doctorate in Economics and Management [18] as part of its 800th anniversary celebrations. [19] A live-streamed ceremony for the event [20] was organized with leading GVC scholars attending. Later,the University of Padova assembled the proceedings and speeches of the ceremony and published it in both Italian [21] and English (under a Creative Commons license). Edited by Valentina De Marchi,Marco Bettiol,and Eleonora Di Maria,the English version is titled “Global Value Chain studies:taking stock,looking ahead”. [22] Gereffi’s extensive collaboration with Italian scholars began in spring 2005 when Gereffi went to Venice International University on the island of San Servolo in Venice for a semester of teaching. Since that date,multiple scholars from the Venetian and Paduan “schools”in Italy have made significant contributions to GVC scholarship,often in collaboration with Gereffi. A few of the more distinctive themes include:(a) extending the well-known research on Italian “industrial districts”to include new theoretical and empirical insights based on GVC theory concerning the governance and upgrading of global supply chains; [23] (b) a more detailed analysis of the role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the evolution and internationalization of Italian industrial districts; [24] [25] and (c) adding environmental upgrading and sustainability to the topics being addressed by Italian scholars in the GVC literature. [26] [27] [28]
On March 13, 2023, the University of Padua awarded Gereffi an honorary doctorate in Economics and Management. The event included a lecture by Gereffi on "Reglobalization in a Post-Pandemic Supply Chain World". [5]
In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and objectives.
A country's industrial policy (IP) or industrial strategy is its official strategic effort to encourage the development and growth of all or part of the economy, often focused on all or part of the manufacturing sector. The government takes measures "aimed at improving the competitiveness and capabilities of domestic firms and promoting structural transformation". A country's infrastructure is a major enabler of the wider economy and so often has a key role in IP.
A supply chain, sometimes expressed as a "supply-chain", is a complex logistics system that consists of facilities that convert raw materials into finished products and distribute them to end consumers or end customers. Meanwhile, supply chain management deals with the flow of goods within the supply chain in the most efficient manner.
A value chain is a progression of activities that a business or firm performs in order to deliver goods and services of value to an end customer. The concept comes from the field of business management and was first described by Michael Porter in his 1985 best-seller, Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance.
The idea of [Porter's Value Chain] is based on the process view of organizations, the idea of seeing a manufacturing organization as a system, made up of subsystems each with inputs, transformation processes and outputs. Inputs, transformation processes, and outputs involve the acquisition and consumption of resources – money, labour, materials, equipment, buildings, land, administration and management. How value chain activities are carried out determines costs and affects profits.
Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy, in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise. The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit while satisfying the needs of consumers for products related to natural resources such as biotechnology, farms, food, forestry, fisheries, fuel, and fiber.
The Marker degradation is a three-step synthetic route in steroid chemistry developed by American chemist Russell Earl Marker in 1938–1940. It is used for the production of cortisone and mammalian sex hormones from plant steroids, and established Mexico as a world center for steroid production in the years immediately after World War II. The discovery of the Marker degradation allowed the production of substantial quantities of steroid hormones for the first time, and was fundamental in the development of the contraceptive pill and corticosteroid anti-inflammatory drugs. In 1999, the American Chemical Society and the Sociedad Química de México named the route as an International Historic Chemical Landmark.
The industrial complex is a socioeconomic concept wherein businesses become entwined in social or political systems or institutions, creating or bolstering a profit economy from these systems. Such a complex is said to pursue its own interests regardless of, and often at the expense of, the best interests of society and individuals. Businesses within an industrial complex may have been created to advance a social or political goal, but mostly profit when the goal is not reached. The industrial complex may profit financially, or ideologically, from maintaining socially detrimental or inefficient systems.
The term food system describes the interconnected systems and processes that influence nutrition, food, health, community development, and agriculture. A food system includes all processes and infrastructure involved in feeding a population: growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting, marketing, consumption, distribution, and disposal of food and food-related items. It also includes the inputs needed and outputs generated at each of these steps. Food systems fall within agri-food systems, which encompass the entire range of actors and their interlinked value-adding activities in the primary production of food and non-food agricultural products, as well as in food storage, aggregation, post-harvest handling, transportation, processing, distribution, marketing, disposal, and consumption. A food system operates within and is influenced by social, political, economic, technological and environmental contexts. It also requires human resources that provide labor, research and education. Food systems are either conventional or alternative according to their model of food lifespan from origin to plate. Food systems are dependent on a multitude of ecosystem services. For example, natural pest regulations, microorganisms providing nitrogen-fixation, and pollinators.
A global value chain (GVC) refers to the full range of activities that economic actors engage in to bring a product to market. The global value chain does not only involve production processes, but preproduction and postproduction processes.
An agricultural value chain is the integrated range of goods and services necessary for an agricultural product to move from the producer to the final consumer. The concept has been used since the beginning of the millennium, primarily by those working in agricultural development in developing countries, although there is no universally accepted definition of the term.
Climate resilience is defined as the "capacity of social, economic and ecosystems to cope with a hazardous event or trend or disturbance". This is done by "responding or reorganising in ways that maintain their essential function, identity and structure while also maintaining the capacity for adaptation, learning and transformation". The key focus of increasing climate resilience is to reduce the climate vulnerability that communities, states, and countries currently have with regards to the many effects of climate change. Efforts to build climate resilience encompass social, economic, technological, and political strategies that are being implemented at all scales of society. From local community action to global treaties, addressing climate resilience is becoming a priority, although it could be argued that a significant amount of the theory has yet to be translated into practice.
Stefano Siragusa, is an Italian executive. He was deputy general manager of TIM.
Global Production Networks (GPN) is a concept in developmental literature which refers to "the nexus of interconnected functions, operations and transactions through which a specific product or service is produced, distributed and consumed."
The horticulture industry embraces the production, processing and shipping of and the market for fruits and vegetables. As such it is a sector of agribusiness and industrialized agriculture. Industrialized horticulture sometimes also includes the floriculture industry and production and trade of ornamental plants.
The East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC) is India’s first coastal economic corridor, covering 2500 km of India's coastline, to be developed with the help of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The ADB is to invest $500 million in infrastructural development of the project. Since late 2013, ADB has been supporting studies on transport corridors in India. Phase 1 of the ECEC is Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC) which had been approved by the ADB board in October 2016. The ECEC running along the entire east coast of India from Kolkata to Kanyakumari, is a multimodal, regional maritime corridor that can play a vital role in unifying the large domestic market, as well as integrating the Indian economy with the dynamic global value chains of Southeast and East Asia. It would play a crucial role in the Government of India’s (GoI) Make in India campaign and also supports the port-led industrialization strategy under the Sagar Mala initiative and the Act East Policy by linking domestic companies with the vibrant global production networks of East and Southeast Asia.
Raphael Malcolm Kaplinsky is a professorial fellow, Science Policy Research Unit, and emeritus professorial fellow, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex. He was one of the leaders of 1968 Mafeje affair protest.
Sustainable Development Goal 9 is about "industry, innovation and infrastructure" and is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. SDG 9 aims to build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.
Friendshoring or allyshoring meaning the act of manufacturing and sourcing from countries that are geopolitical allies which makes it a synonym for trade bloc. Some companies and governments pursue friendshoring as a way to continue accessing international markets and supply chains while reducing certain geopolitical risks. However, friendshoring brings risks of its own, including more expensive manufacturing and reduced economic output.
Global Value Chains and Development: Redefining the Contours of 21st Century Capitalism is a 2018 book by American economic sociologist and academic Gary Gereffi published by Cambridge University Press and part of their Development Trajectories in Global Value Chains series. The book discusses the Global Value Chains (GVC) framework, pioneered by Gereffi in the mid-1990s and early 2000s. It focuses on how buyer-driven supply chains, led by retailers and global brands, shifted production in many international industries to low-cost developing economies. The GVC framework revolves around "governance" and "upgrading". The chapters include key articles on global commodity chains and case studies on Mexico's and China's impact on the U.S. manufacturing sector. The concept of "social upgrading" and "synergistic governance" emerged to address social concerns. The rise of emerging economies led to greater regionalization of GVCs in the 2000s. After the 2008-09 economic crisis, GVCs adapted to a post-Washington-Consensus world marked by economic nationalism and populism. The GVC approach has influenced policymakers in international organizations and national economies, as well as academics.
Pela & Gary Gereffi
Dr. Gary Gereffi, Professor Emeritus Sociology, Duke University and daughter Emily Gereffi, Senior International Trade Specialist at U.S. Department of Commerce, Greensboro / Winston Salem Office.
He leaves to share in his memory, daughter, Stephanie Gereffi; son, Nicholas Gereffi; step-son, Jason Halvorsen (Katherine); grandchildren, Mila Zuri and Leah Marina; brothers, Paul (Terry) Gereffi and Gary (Pela) Gereffi; nieces and nephews, Emily Gereffi, Karen Goodman, Phillip Gereffi, and Scott Gereffi.