MNC Global Value Chains

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Popular media and political rhetoric often reference outsourcing, both as a potential source of growth and a potential source of job destruction. This course goes beyond the buzz words to examine what we really know about global production networks. What is meant by the terms “offshoring” and “outsourcing”? Are traditional models of trade sufficient to handle increasing complex global production strategies? How do we measure trade in intangibles such as intellectual property and business services? What are the impacts of offshoring on both the countries doing the investing and the countries receiving the investment? How worried should you be about losing your job to someone in India? Is the world getting “flatter”? What policy responses are appropriate? These and other related questions will be addressed using both theory and empirical evidence.