Patterns of variability in the structure of global value chains: a network analysis

Global Value Chains (GVCs) are a feature of the organization of production in many sectors and countries and they deeply affect international trade patterns. How far the separation of production stages—generating increasingly widespread GVCs—can go, is currently a matter of debate. The main focus of this paper is to investigate GVCs at the country-industry level by modelling them through the construction of a specific network and using network analysis tools. In particular, the aim is to propose a network-based measure of GVCs length to assess whether the structure of GVCs has stretched or shrank over time. Analyzing the evolution of these structures is important to better understand the role played by countries in the production chain, with implications also for their fragility or resilience in presence of external shocks. Our measure allows to consider differently shaped GVCs, and the results show that there are relevant differences among sectors and countries in terms of the evolution of GVCs, especially considering direct or indirect links. Overall, we find a general stability over time of GVCs, confirming the importance of the “relational approach” in GVCs. But the shifts in the geographical patterns of the connections also support the view that firms organizing this complex form of production are ready to grasp better opportunities when they appear in the global markets.