GVC transformation and a new investment landscape in the 2020s: Driving forces, directions, and a forward-looking research and policy agenda

Global value chains (GVCs) will undergo substantive transformation in the decade ahead, reshaping the global trade and investment landscape. The change will be driven by five major forces: economic governance realignment, the new industrial revolution, the sustainability endeavor, corporate accountability, and resilience-oriented restructuring. All of this will present challenges and opportunities for firms and states alike, leading to an investment-development paradigm shift. This article discusses the five driving forces for the GVC transformation, projects ten broad trends in the evolution of the global trade and investment landscape, and also presents a forward-looking agenda for multi-dimensional research and policy in the decade ahead. It aims at providing a framework for future research that encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration as well as a structured dialogue between academia and policymakers.