africa

Africa at a Fork in the Road: Taking Off or Disappointment Once Again?
competitors and sources of key inputs and competencies for each other. In this
context, GVCs have become the main channel of transfers of all kinds: e.g., capital,
knowledge, technology, standards, and value-added services. Though these
elements may not be available domestically they exist in the global marketplace.
Hence, a country cannot become or remain competitive without efficient links to
global markets.
• The change of relevant barriers and impetus from public to private. Barriers to
trade and competitiveness have progressively moved from the border (traditional
obstacles such as tariffs and quotas) to behind the border (non-tariff measures
and other regulatory barriers), to ultimately become borderless (proliferation of
private regulations and standards, distortion of competition within GVCs).
Figure 16.1: New Trade Paradigms under the Reign of Global Value Chains
Source: Cattaneo and Miroudot (2015).
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