Global value chains participation as a competitiveness tool

We exploit the results of a benchmark survey run in 2013 on representative samples of 650 manufacturing firms active in the most dynamics regions of Europe - Lombardy, Baden-Württemberg, Bayern, Rhône-Alpes and Cataluña –, in order to assess their different patterns of participation to Global Value Chains (GVCs) and the implications for productivity. Specific attention is paid to the firms' characteristics that foster a “higher value added” positioning within GVCs.We find that each of subsequent and more sophisticated step of GVCs participation requires different and additional firms’ characteristics, with the highest involvement being associated to specific features of firms’ internal organization.