IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ris/adbewp/0496.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Skills and Activity Upgrading in Global Value Chains: Trends and Drivers for Asia

Author

Listed:
  • de Vries, Gaaitzen

    (University of Groningen)

  • Chen, Quanrun

    (University of International Business and Economics)

  • Hasan, Rana

    (Asian Development Bank)

  • Li, Zhigang

    (Asian Development Bank)

Abstract

This paper examines the trends in skill and activity upgrading in global value chains (GVCs) and the drivers of upgrading in Asian economies. It uses the newly constructed ADB Multi-Region Input-Output Tables as well as occupation data on jobs by educational attainment and business activities, namely research and development; production; logistics, sales, and marketing; administration and back-office; and headquarter activities. Our results suggest an ongoing specialization process in high-income Asian countries and in developing member countries (DMCs) toward high-skilled knowledge-intensive activities. The pace of upgrading differs across Asian countries, being more rapid and encompassing in the People’s Republic of China in comparison to other DMCs. We use a structural decomposition method to account for the drivers of the trends observed. In particular, technological change in GVCs that is biased toward knowledge-intensive activities is important in accounting for the trends observed.

Suggested Citation

  • de Vries, Gaaitzen & Chen, Quanrun & Hasan, Rana & Li, Zhigang, 2016. "Skills and Activity Upgrading in Global Value Chains: Trends and Drivers for Asia," ADB Economics Working Paper Series 496, Asian Development Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:ris:adbewp:0496
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.adb.org/publications/skills-and-activity-upgrading-global-value-chains-asia
    File Function: Full text
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Marcel P. Timmer & Erik Dietzenbacher & Bart Los & Robert Stehrer & Gaaitzen J. Vries, 2015. "An Illustrated User Guide to the World Input–Output Database: the Case of Global Automotive Production," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(3), pages 575-605, August.
    2. Meng, Bo & Peters, Glen P. & Wang, Zhi & Li, Meng, 2018. "Tracing CO2 emissions in global value chains," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 24-42.
    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. Nenci, Silvia & Fusacchia, Ilaria & Giunta, Anna & Montalbano, Pierluigi & Pietrobelli, Carlo, 2022. "Mapping global value chain participation and positioning in agriculture and food: stylised facts, empirical evidence and critical issues," Bio-based and Applied Economics Journal, Italian Association of Agricultural and Applied Economics (AIEAA), vol. 11(2), July.
    2. Ventsislavova Georgieva, Daniela, 2024. "Влияние На Глобалните Вериги За Добавяне На Стойност Върху Иновационния Потенциал На Предприятията И Регионите [Impact of global value chains on the innovation potential of enterprises and regions]," MPRA Paper 122129, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2024.
    3. Josep LLADÓS‐MASLLORENS & Antoni MESEGUER‐ARTOLA & Jordi VILASECA‐REQUENA, 2021. "Upskilling and distributional changes in the electronics global value chain," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 160(1), pages 113-142, March.

    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. Airebule, Palizha & Cheng, Haitao & Ishikawa, Jota, 2023. "Assessing carbon emissions embodied in international trade based on shared responsibility," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    2. Ferrarini , Benno & de Vries , Gaaitzen J., 2015. "What Accounts for the Growth of Carbon Dioxide Emissions in Advanced and Emerging Economies? The Role of Consumption, Technology, and Global Supply Chain Trade," ADB Economics Working Paper Series 458, Asian Development Bank.
    3. Zhang, Zengkai & Zhu, Kunfu, 2017. "Border carbon adjustments for exports of the United States and the European Union: Taking border-crossing frequency into account," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 201(C), pages 188-199.
    4. Ling-Yun He & Hui Huang, 2021. "Economic Benefits and Pollutants Emission Embodied in China–US Merchandise Trade—Comparative Analysis Based on Gross Trade, Value Added Trade and Value Added in Trade," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-20, October.
    5. Qiuping Li & Sanmang Wu & Qingshi Tu, 2024. "Delineating the embodied CO2 emissions in Canada's exports: Routes, drivers, and paths," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 28(4), pages 901-915, August.
    6. de Vries, Gaaitzen J. & Ferrarini, Benno, 2017. "What Accounts for the Growth of Carbon Dioxide Emissions in Advanced and Emerging Economies? The Role of Consumption, Technology and Global Supply Chain Participation," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 213-223.
    7. Zhong, Sheng & Goh, Tian & Su, Bin, 2022. "Patterns and drivers of embodied carbon intensity in international exports: The role of trade and environmental policies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    8. Maeno, Keitaro, 2023. "Identifying critical sectors in the restructuring of low-carbon global supply chains," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(PA).
    9. Zhang, Zengkai & Zhu, Kunfu & Hewings, Geoffrey J.D., 2017. "The effects of border-crossing frequencies associated with carbon footprints on border carbon adjustments," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 105-114.
    10. Zhang, Danyang & Wang, Hui & Löschel, Andreas & Zhou, Peng, 2021. "The changing role of global value chains in CO2 emission intensity in 2000–2014," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    11. Schulte, Patrick, 2015. "Does skill-biased technical change diffuse internationally?," ZEW Discussion Papers 15-088, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    12. Jan Fagerberg & Bengt-Åke Lundvall & Martin Srholec, 2018. "Global Value Chains, National Innovation Systems and Economic Development," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 30(3), pages 533-556, July.
    13. Felbermayr Gabriel & Steininger Marina, 2019. "Revisiting the Euro’s Trade Cost and Welfare Effects," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 239(5-6), pages 917-956, October.
    14. Carlo Piccardi & Lucia Tajoli & Riccardo Vitali, 2024. "Patterns of variability in the structure of global value chains: a network analysis," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 160(3), pages 1009-1036, August.
    15. Ke Zhang & Xingwei Wang, 2021. "Pollution Haven Hypothesis of Global CO 2 , SO 2 , NO x —Evidence from 43 Economies and 56 Sectors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-27, June.
    16. Enghin Atalay & Ali Hortacsu & Mustafa Runyun & Chad Syverson & Mehmet Fatih Ulu, 2023. "Micro- and Macroeconomic Impacts of a Place-Based Industrial Policy," Working Papers 23-12, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
    17. Yuko Imura, 2023. "Reassessing Trade Barriers with Global Production Networks," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 51, pages 77-116, December.
    18. Aleksandra Parteka & Joanna Wolszczak-Derlacz, 2020. "Wage response to global production links: evidence for workers from 28 European countries (2005–2014)," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 156(4), pages 769-801, November.
    19. Battisti, Michele & Gatto, Massimo Del & Parmeter, Christopher F., 2022. "Skill-biased technical change and labor market inefficiency," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    20. Trenczek, Jan & Wacker, Konstantin M., 2023. "Human Capital Misallocation and Output per Worker Differences: Beyond Cobb-Douglas," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1331, Global Labor Organization (GLO).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    functional upgrading; global multiregional input–output model; global supply chains; structural decomposition analysis; World Input-Output Database;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D57 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Input-Output Tables and Analysis
    • F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions
    • F63 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - Economic Development

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:ris:adbewp:0496. 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: Orlee Velarde (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/eradbph.html .

    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.