Editorial: Socio-economic networks and value chains in the Global South – an institutional perspective

In the last two decades various studies have analyzed the structures of and flows in international value chains (including two special issues in DIE ERDE in 2007 and 2014). Based on the concepts of Global Commodity Chains (Gereffi 1996; Kulke 2007), Global Value Chains (Gereffi et al. 2005; Nadvi 2008), Global Production Networks (Henderson et al. 2002; Hughes et al. 2008), its revised version GPN 2.0 (Yeung 2015; Yeung and Coe 2015) and further related approaches researchers have analyzed the different dynamics (e.g. upgrading), the coordination and the governance of these chains (e.g. through standards and conventions). From a geographical perspective research foci included their spatial patterns and regional implications, often with a focus on North-South relationships with powerful Northern lead firms and weaker Southern suppliers (Ponte and Gibbon 2005; Bolwig et al. 2010).