Reshaping the policy debate on the implications of COVID-19 for global supply chains

Abstract

Disruptions in global supply chains in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic have re-opened the debate on the vulnerabilities associated with production in complex international production networks. To build resilience in supply chains, several authors suggest making them shorter, more domestic, and more diversified. This paper argues that before redesigning global supply chains, one needs to identify the concrete issues faced by firms during the crisis and the policies that can solve them. It highlights that the solutions that have been proposed tend to be disconnected from the conclusions of the supply chain literature, where reshoring does not lead to resilience, and could further benefit from the insights of international business and global value chain scholars. Lastly, the paper discusses the policies that can build resilience at the firm and global levels and the narrative that could replace the current one to reshape the debate on the policy implications of COVID-19 for global supply chains.