Can firms and economies utilize global value chains for development? How can they move from low-income to middle-income and even high-income status? This book addresses these questions through a series of case studies examining upgradation and innovation by firms operating in GVCs in Asia. The countries examined are China, India, South Korea, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka, with studies of firms operating in varied sectors - aerospace components, apparel, automotive, consumer electronics including mobile phones, telecom equipment, IT software and services, and pharmaceuticals.

In an era of growing regionalization South Asia remains one of the least integrated regions in the world. The region's complicated political economy, its divided history and a maze of institutional and economic barriers are commonly blamed for the lack of a vibrant regional market in South Asia. A fraught history, however, need not be destiny. This short book explores the possibilities of deepening intraregional trade and investment in South Asia. Drawing on field work carried out in the region's textile and garment industry, it examines the conditions under which feuding and mistrustful members can work as partners despite past grievances. The book finds evidence of the emergence of new intermediaries in the region, including a generation of younger entrepreneurs, with a more global worldview that seems to transcend the region's divided history and is enabling more embedded trade ties. These new actors along with the growing size of the domestic market can serve as anchors for deeper regional engagement in the future. It is hoped that the evidence provided by this book can nudge the conversation about regional cooperation in South Asia in new directions.

Can firms and economies utilize global value chains for development? How can they move from low-income to middle-income and even high-income status? This book addresses these questions through a series of case studies examining upgradation and innovation by firms operating in GVCs in Asia. The countries examined are China, India, South Korea, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka, with studies of firms operating in varied sectors - aerospace components, apparel, automotive, consumer electronics including mobile phones, telecom equipment, IT software and services, and pharmaceuticals.

This book brings together a set of studies on labour conditions in global value chains (GVCs) in a variety of sectors, ranging from labour-intensive sectors (garments, fresh fruits, tourism), to medium and high technology sectors (automobiles, electronics and telecom) and knowledge-intensive sectors (IT software services). The studies span a number of countries across Asia - Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. This book stands out for its grounded and detailed examination of both what is working and what is not working as Asian labour gets more embedded in global value chains. In trying to identify spaces for progressive action and policies in the current GVC-linked global work environment, the book goes against the grain in searching for an alternative to laissez faire forms of globalisation.