Seminar “World Development Report (WDR) 2020: Trading for Development in the Age of Global Value Chains”

Global value chains (GVCs) powered the surge of international trade after 1990 and now account for almost half of all trade. This shift enabled an unprecedented economic convergence: poor countries grew rapidly and began to catch up with richer countries. Since the 2008 global financial crisis, however, the growth of trade has been sluggish and the expansion of GVCs has stalled. Meanwhile, serious threats have emerged to the model of trade-led growth. New technologies could draw production closer to the consumer and reduce the demand for labor. And conflicts among large countries could lead to a retrenchment or a segmentation of GVCs.

The World Development Report (WDR) 2020: Trading for Development in the Age of Global Value Chains examines whether there is still a path to development through GVCs and trade. It concludes that technological change is at this stage more a boon than a curse. GVCs can continue to boost growth, create better jobs, and reduce poverty provided that developing countries implement deeper reforms to promote GVC participation, industrial countries pursue open, predictable policies, and all countries revive multilateral cooperation.

At this seminar, Aaditya Mattoo, Co-Director of the WDR 2020 and Chief Economist for East Asia and Pacific Region , will presenting the main findings of the report.

Download the report (World Bank Website)

• World Development Report 2020: Trading for Development in the Age of Global Value Chains

Contents

[Opening remarks]
Masato Miyazaki
Special Representative, Japan, World Bank

[Keynote speech]
Aaditya Mattoo
Co-Director of the WDR 2020 and Chief Economist for East Asia and Pacific Region, World Bank

[Panel discussion]
Akio Hosono
Senior Research Advisor, JICA Research Institute
Yasuyuki Todo
Professor, Waseda University (via videoconference from Sydney)
Aaditya Mottoo

Moderator
Izumi Ohno
Director, JICA Research Institute

World Bank Group and JICA Research Institute

English and Japanese (with simultaneous interpretation)

Free

This seminar will be recorded and may be broadcasted on JICA-RI’s website. If you choose to participate in a discussion, you are presumed to consent to the use of your comments in these recordings.

Click below to access the World Bank's registration form.

• Registration form (World Bank Website)