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Upstreamness, social upgrading and gender: Equal benefits for all?

Author

Listed:
  • Nicola Gagliardi

    (SBS-EM, CEB and DULBEA)

  • Benoît Mahy

    (University of Mons (humanOrg) and DULBEA)

  • François Rycx

    (Université libre de Bruxelles (CEB and DULBEA), humanOrg, IRES, GLO and IZA)

Abstract

This paper examines social upgrading related to firms’ participation in Global Value Chains (GVCs) from a developed countries’ perspective. Merging detailed matched employer-employee data relative to the Belgian manufacturing industry with unique information on firm-level upstreamness, we investigate whether workers on the upstream stage of GVCs benefit from higher wages. We also enrich our analysis with a gender dimension. Unconditional quantile regressions and decomposition methods reveal that firms’ upstreamness fosters workers’ social upgrading. Nevertheless, gains are found to be unequally shared among workers. Male top-earners are the main beneficiaries; whereas women, irrespective of their earnings, appear to be unfairly rewarded. Classification-JEL: F61, F66, J16, J31

Suggested Citation

  • Nicola Gagliardi & Benoît Mahy & François Rycx, 2018. "Upstreamness, social upgrading and gender: Equal benefits for all?," Working Paper Research 359, National Bank of Belgium.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbb:reswpp:201810-359
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Social upgrading; global value chains; WagesGender; Developed countries;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F61 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - Microeconomic Impacts
    • F66 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - Labor
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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