%0 Report
%9 Working Paper
%A Del Prete, Davide
%A Giovannetti, Giorgia
%A Marvasi, Enrico
%D 2016
%F eprints:3706
%I IMT Institute for Advanced Studies Lucca
%K Keywords: global value chains, Örm heterogeneity, North Africa, productivity.  JEL codes: F14, F15, L23, L25, 055
%N 407
%T Global Value Chains Participation and Productivity Gains for North African Firms
%U http://eprints.imtlucca.it/3706/
%X This paper analyzes the participation of North African countries and Örms into Global Value Chains  (GVCs) and its implications for competitiveness. First it shows that North African countries are  not (yet) fully integrated into international production networks, although large part of their (low)  trade is due to value added related upstream activities, and the importance of global linkages  has been increasing over time. Then, it empirically investigates if and how the performance of  North African Örms is a§ected by GVC participation. We Önd that Örms that have had access  to international supply chains perform better, showing further productivity gains over time. The  ability to get such improvements however relies on speciÖc characteristics, such as an adequate  level of quality and compliance with international standards, along with specialized skills. Policies  designed to support the latter represent then an important tool for linking developing countries to  global production and trade, with possible positive consequences on their economic development.