Upskilling and distributional changes in the electronics global value chain

Abstract

The electronics industry has one of the most complex global production chains in the international economy. Using data from the World Input–Output Database for the period 2000–14, this article traces individual contributions to the value chain in order to observe how financial turmoil has affected its evolution over time and to map international interactions. The authors point to a rise in offshoring until the outbreak of the global financial crisis of 2007–08, as China and other Eastern Asian economies became an essential node of value creation. They also detect a deep transformation of production technologies, accompanied by a process of upskilling.