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Firms find advantages in sourcing inputs from abroad and in fragmenting their production process. On average, vertical trade represents about one third of total trade among OECD countries. This report describes and illustrates new firm strategies of vertical specialisation and explores the policy implications of new patterns of trade and FDI. It is in services industries that vertical trade has increased the most in recent years. While vertical trade seems to respond to the same determinants as the rest of exports and imports, distance-related trade costs play a more important role in explaining the volume of bilateral trade flows resulting from vertical specialisation. Distance-related costs have a lower impact on foreign direct investment and sales of foreign affiliates but there is a complementary relationship between trade and FDI. Vertical specialisation networks have created new challenges for trade policymakers. In particular, growth of bilateral exchanges between countries depends increasingly on barriers to trade and investment in the rest of the world. Moreover, the impact of a country’s own trade barriers on domestic firms is significant in the context of vertical specialisation. The analysis stresses the importance of multilateral negotiations for trade and investment liberalisation.

Trade

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This study presents a novel set of indicators on outcomes of foreign direct investment spanning 63 developing countries and 10 areas that matter for development. Building on decade-long data collection by the World Bank Enterprise Surveys, the indicators highlight systematic differences between foreign multinational enterprises and domestic firms across countries in competitiveness outcomes such as productivity, innovation, export orientation, as well as the extent to which they promote inclusiveness through job creation, gender empowerment, or supply linkages. Although there appears to be no striking trade-off between competitiveness and inclusiveness of foreign multinational enterprises, their premia differ substantially across regions and income groups. Differences in some key drivers of competitiveness, such as productivity, innovation, and skills transfer, appear to be increasing with income, although premia in most outcomes are stronger in lower-middle-income or low-income markets, highlighting the relevance of foreign multinational enterprises for socioeconomic progress in these contexts. Moreover, outcomes of foreign multinational enterprises in areas such as export orientation, skills transfer, and physical capital accumulation are more consistent across countries, whereas in other areas the outcomes display wide variation, suggesting potentially higher sensitivity to investor motivations, sectors, seasonal trends, and business environments. Policy efforts should take these differences into account, to devise investment strategies that not only seek to increase capital flows, but also enhance the benefits that could be derived from them.

Commercial policy. --- Diversification in industry.

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The role of 'first movers' in fragile states is critical: they grow and diversify markets in ways that no other firms do, generating disproportionate impact in terms of development and stability. But pioneer firms are rare in fragile states. This study documents their profile, their challenges, and the barriers that prevent them from realizing their potential. The study also explores the rationale for development finance institutions to support them, and proposes new ways to offset costs, risks, and the 'unknown unknowns' that generate radical uncertainty. Through a process of social learning and resetting negative self-fulfilling investor narratives, development finance institutions can help pioneering firms shift the growth trajectory of fragile and conflict-affected states.

Access to Finance --- Business Cycles and Stabilization Policies --- Common Carriers Industry --- Construction Industry --- Development Finance --- Employment and Unemployment --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- Firms --- Food and Beverage Industry --- Fragility --- General Manufacturing --- Inequality --- Innovation --- Labor Markets --- Pioneering --- Plastics and Rubber Industry --- Poverty Reduction --- Pulp and Paper Industry --- Risk --- Social Protections and Labor --- Textiles, Apparel and Leather Industry

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Although global value chains (GVCs) are often considered a defining feature of the current wave of globalisation, little is known about: i) what drives GVC participation; ii) what the benefits associated to growing participation are; or iii) how developing countries engage and benefit from GVCs. This paper tackles these questions empirically. The evidence indicates there are important benefits to be had from wider participation in terms of enhanced productivity, sophistication and diversification of exports. Structural factors, such as geography, size of the market and level of development are found to be key determinants of GVC participation. Trade and investment policy reforms as well as improvements of logistics and customs, intellectual property protection, infrastructure and institutions can, however, also play an active role in promoting further engagement. A more in-depth analysis of GVC participation and policy context in five developing sub-regions in Africa, the Middle East and Asia highlights key differences and similarities, and can be a starting point for policy makers in the regions to assess their countries’ GVC engagement and to consider policy options.

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Firms of different sizes play different roles in organized markets and societies. This report focuses on the particular role that larger firms - firms with 100 employees or more - play in this ecosystem. It shows that larger firms in developing countries have distinct features that set them apart from the rest. These features are closely associated with productivity advantages - their ability not only to lower costs of production through economies of scale and scope, but also to invest in quality and reach demand. These distinct features of large firms translate into improved outcomes for their owners as well as for workers and smaller enterprises in their value chains. The fundamental challenge for economic development, however, is that production often does not reach economic scale in low- and middle-income countries. What is missing are larger, more productive, and outward-oriented firms. The scarcity of larger firms raises the question of how they are created in lower income contexts, and where frictions lie in this process. This report shows that four types of sponsors are often behind large firms: foreign firms creating new affiliates; domestic sponsors having experience with other large firms; governments; and entrepreneurs. Growth paths of large firms also show that distinguishing features of large firms are often in place from the time they are established. Therefore, supporting small firms to grow large is one means for creating large firms, but not sufficient on its own. To fill the 'missing top', governments should support the creation of new large firms from different sources, improve market contestability, and address operational barriers that disproportionally affect larger firms. The challenge lies in balancing the desire for efficiency and welfare benefits of large firms, while avoiding the inefficiencies that result when large firms acquire monopoly power. For development finance institutions seeking to promote a dynamic and competitive private sector, taking a value chain perspective and partnering with larger firms in each indutry - both incumbent firms and new challengers - can benefit firms across the size spectrum--

Business enterprises --- Size --- Size. --- Developing countries --- Economic policy.