IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/soueco/v17y2016i1p73-93.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Economic Upgrading in Bangladesh’s Apparel Value Chain during the Post-MFA Period

Author

Listed:
  • Khondaker Golam Moazzem
  • Farzana Sehrin

Abstract

Bangladesh’s success in the global apparel value chain following the expiration of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement in 2005 deserves study to understand how a least developed country can become a major source of apparels within a short period of time. This article shows that even under a quasi-hierarchical governance structure, suppliers in Bangladesh have made significant progress in economic upgrading, particularly process and product upgrading. Competitive pressure linked to the ‘open sourcing’ of apparels has caused leading firms to ease conditionalities on the production process. Preferential access to major markets, timely responses to buyers’ changing demands, favourable policies related to the import of raw materials, production and export of apparels and new labour-related policies have facilitated economic upgrading. Suppliers have accordingly benefited from substantial investment in productive capacity, technological know-how and workers’ skills. Further upgrading would require more investment in firm-level productivity and improvement in physical and social compliance.

Suggested Citation

  • Khondaker Golam Moazzem & Farzana Sehrin, 2016. "Economic Upgrading in Bangladesh’s Apparel Value Chain during the Post-MFA Period," South Asia Economic Journal, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, vol. 17(1), pages 73-93, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:soueco:v:17:y:2016:i:1:p:73-93
    DOI: 10.1177/1391561415621824
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1391561415621824
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/1391561415621824?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Khondoker Abdul Mottaleb & Tetsushi Sonobe, 2011. "An Inquiry into the Rapid Growth of the Garment Industry in Bangladesh," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 60(1), pages 67-89.
    2. John Humphrey & Hubert Schmitz, 2002. "How does insertion in global value chains affect upgrading in industrial clusters?," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(9), pages 1017-1027.
    3. Alessandro Nicita & Victor Ognivtsev & Miho Shirotori, 2013. "Global Supply Chains: Trade And Economic Policies For Developing Countries," UNCTAD Blue Series Papers 55, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
    4. Mustafizur Rahman & Asif Anwar, 2006. "Bangladesh Apparels Export to the US Market: An Examination of Her Competitiveness vis-à-vis China," CPD Working Paper 62, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
    5. Gereffi, Gary & Frederick, Stacey, 2010. "The global apparel value chain, trade and the crisis : challenges and opportunities for developing countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5281, The World Bank.
    6. Debapriya Bhattacharya & Mustafizur Rahman & Ananya Raihan, 2002. "Contribution of the RMG Sector to the Bangladesh Economy," CPD Working Paper 50, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
    7. Debapriya Bhattacharya & Mustafizur Rahman, 2000. "Seeking Fair Market Access For Bangladesh Apparels In The Usa: A Strategic View," CPD Working Paper 11, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
    8. Mustafizur Rahman, 2014. "Trade Benefits for Least Developed Countries: the Bangladesh Case Market Access Initiatives, Limitations and Policy Recommendations," CDP Background Papers 018, United Nations, Department of Economics and Social Affairs.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Khondaker Golam Moazzem & Md. Arfanuzzaman, 2018. "Livelihood Challenges of RMG Workers: Exploring Scopes within the Structure of Minimum Wages and Beyond," CPD Working Paper 122, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
    2. Mair, Simon & Druckman, Angela & Jackson, Tim, 2019. "Higher Wages for Sustainable Development? Employment and Carbon Effects of Paying a Living Wage in Global Apparel Supply Chains," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 11-23.
    3. Herr, Hansjörg & Dünhaupt, Petra, 2019. "Global Value Chains in economic development," IPE Working Papers 124/2019, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Institute for International Political Economy (IPE).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gideon Ndubuisi & Solomon Owusu, 2021. "How important is GVC participation to export upgrading?," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(10), pages 2887-2908, October.
    2. Dutta, Sourish, 2017. "Mechanics of Global Value Chains: India's Perspective," MPRA Paper 108482, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Marisol Velazquez, 2014. "Commercialization and consumption of coffee in Mexico," ERSA conference papers ersa14p1681, European Regional Science Association.
    4. Plank, Leonhard & Staritz, Cornelia, 2014. "Global competition, institutional context, and regional production networks: Up- and downgrading experiences in Romania's apparel industry," Working Papers 50, Austrian Foundation for Development Research (ÖFSE).
    5. Robert C. Bird & Vivek Soundararajan, 2020. "The Role of Precontractual Signals in Creating Sustainable Global Supply Chains," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 164(1), pages 81-94, June.
    6. Cornelia Staritz & Mike Morris, 2013. "Local embeddedness and economic and social upgrading in Madagascar’s export apparel industry," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series ctg-2013-21, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    7. John Pickles, 2012. "South African horticulture: opportunities and challenges for economic and social upgrading in value chains," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series ctg-2012-13, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    8. Owusu, Solomon, 2021. "Powering structural transformation and productivity gains in Africa: The role of global value chains and resource endowments," MERIT Working Papers 2021-022, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    9. Cansın Arslan & Daniel Gregg & Meike Wollni, 2024. "Paying more to make less: value degrading in the coffee value chain in eastern Uganda," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 106(1), pages 96-117, January.
    10. Sinkovics, Noemi & Hoque, Samia Ferdous & Sinkovics, Rudolf R., 2018. "Supplier Strategies and Routines for Capability Development: Implications for Upgrading," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 24(4), pages 348-368.
    11. Grumiller, Jan & Raza, Werner G. & Staritz, Cornelia & Tröster, Bernhard & von Arnim, Rudi & Grohs, Hannes, 2018. "The economic and social effects of the EU Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with Tunisia," Research Reports 9/2018, Austrian Foundation for Development Research (ÖFSE).
    12. Mahmudul Hasan Fouji & Imranul Hoque, 2021. "Supplier Internationalization Through Upgrading in Global Supply Chain: Evidence from the Garments Industry of Bangladesh," International Journal of Global Business and Competitiveness, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 116-129, December.
    13. Juthathip Jongwanich & Archanun Kohpaiboon, . "Firm Productivity, Globalization and Global Product Sharing: Lesson from Thai Manufacturing," Chapters, in: Chin Hee Hahn & Dionisius A. Narjoko (ed.), Globalization and Performance of Small and Large Firms, chapter 11, pages XI-1 - XI, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
    14. Berger, Axel & Bruhn, Dominique & Bender, Andrea & Friesen, Julia & Kick, Katharina & Kullmann, Felix & Roßner, Robert & Weyrauch, Svenja, 2016. "Deep preferential trade agreements and upgrading in global value chains: the case of Vietnam," IDOS Studies, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), volume 92, number 92, March.
    15. Thomas Bernhardt, 2013. "Developing countries in the global apparel value chain: a tale of upgrading and downgrading experiences," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series ctg-2013-22, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    16. Mike Morris & Leonhard Plank & Cornelia Staritz, 2016. "Regionalism, end markets and ownership matter: Shifting dynamics in the apparel export industry in Sub Saharan Africa," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 48(7), pages 1244-1265, July.
    17. Debapriya Bhattacharya & Khondaker Golam Moazzem, 2013. "Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in the Global Value Chain (GVC): Trends, Determinants and Challenges," CPD Working Paper 104, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
    18. Staritz, Cornelia & Morris, Mike, 2012. "Local embeddedness, upgrading, and skill development: Global value chains and foreign direct investment in Lesotho's apparel industry," Working Papers 32, Austrian Foundation for Development Research (ÖFSE).
    19. Chin Hee Hahn & Dionisius A. Narjoko, . "Globalization and Performance of Small and Large Firms," Books, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), number 2013-rpr-03 edited by Chin Hee Hahn & Dionisius A. Narjoko, January.
    20. Choksy, Umair Shafi & Ayaz, Muhammad & Al-Tabbaa, Omar & Parast, Mahour, 2022. "Supplier resilience under the COVID-19 crisis in apparel global value chain (GVC): The role of GVC governance and supplier’s upgrading," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 249-267.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Economic upgrading; product upgrading; process upgrading; competitiveness; Multi-Fibre Arrangement; productivity; global value chain;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L22 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Organization and Market Structure
    • L23 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Organization of Production
    • F1 - International Economics - - Trade

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:soueco:v:17:y:2016:i:1:p:73-93. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.ips.lk/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.