Economic and Social Upgrading of Developing Countries in the Global Apparel Sector: Insights from Using a Parsimonious Measurement Approach

Historically, the apparel sector has played an important role as a pathway to industrialization and economic development. Today, as the production of goods and services is increasingly becoming fragmented and organized within international networks and global value chains (GVCs) — with lead firms coordinating suppliers, assembly, design, logistics, marketing and branding in multiple locations across the globe — economic development has more and more become associated with upgrading within such international networks. This is particularly true for the apparel sector, which is well-suited for such global production arrangements given that most intermediate products can be easily traded at each stage of the value chain. As a consequence, it has become one of the most globalized sectors in the world where production and trade are largely organized within and shaped by GVCs, which, in turn, are characterized by a high degree of involvement of developing country producers.