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2020/2021  KAN-CCBLO1801U  Africa, Global Value Chains and Development

English Title
Africa, Global Value Chains and Development

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory offered as elective
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Quarter
Start time of the course Third Quarter
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for BSc and MSc in Business, Language and Culture, MSc
Course coordinator
  • Lotte Thomsen - Department of Management, Society and Communication (MSC)
Main academic disciplines
  • Globalisation and international business
  • International political economy
  • Supply chain management and logistics
Teaching methods
  • Blended learning
Last updated on 25-01-2021

Relevant links
Learning objectives
  • Have a clear understanding of, and be able to discuss, the theories and concepts covered in the course readings that are relevant to the analysis of global value chains in Africa.
  • Apply these concepts and theories to critically analyse how global value chains are governed in Africa, how value is created, redistributed and appropriate along value chains, and what kinds of upgrading trajectories are available to GVC actors in African countries.
  • Critically evaluate these theories, their application and their limitations in relation to explaining the effects of GVC governance and upgrading on economic outcomes and inequality that may affect various kinds of actors along the value chain – including the livelihoods of small-scale primary producers, and of women in particular.
Examination
Africa, Global Value Chains and Development:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Home assignment - written product
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Size of written product Max. 20 pages
Assignment type Written assignment
Duration Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
Grading scale 7-point grading scale
Examiner(s) One internal examiner
Exam period Spring
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Description of the exam procedure

At the beginning of the course, students will receive an exam project description that specifies the project requirements on how to carry out an analysis of one particular global value chain. Students will be given the opportunity to select this GVC in collaboration with a teacher. In brief, the project includes an analysis of a contemporary GVC, and the changes occurring within it at the global level, and with specific reference to the role of one or more African countries. The project should focus on a series of key GVC-analysis dimensions that are all covered during the course. Students will be developing their project during the course.
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

Technological and organizational changes have been crucial in transforming the way in which production is organized across time and space. The steam engine in the 19th century made transportation and manufacturing economic in ways that allowed the spatial separation of production from consumption, but for much of the 20th century, production was still organized along vertically integrated firms. By the late 1970s, however, a more flexible and spatially dispersed mode of production had taken hold – based on slicing up production in specific tasks and moving some of these out of the boundary of the firm through external contracting. Information and communication technology in the latter part of the 20th century further facilitated the global outsourcing and offshoring of manufacturing activity. This has led to the organization of economic activity in Global Value Chains (GVCs) that are dispersed globally but governed centrally by ‘lead firms’. Lead firms are groups of firms that operate at particular functional positions along the chain and that are able to shape who does what along the chain, at what price, using what standards, to which specifications, and delivering at what point in time.

 

These trends have important implications on economic, social and environmental trajectories in Africa and elsewhere, and on the kinds of interventions that are part of the current portfolio of development interventions. Participation in different kinds of global value chains has specific impacts on different kinds of actors, industries and countries. And different kinds of participation (or exclusion, non-participation) in GVCs also have different impacts, which need to be understood so to avoid a ‘one size fits all’ understanding of development trajectories and industrial policy in various African contexts.

 

In this course, we unpack this complexity in order to understand the changing role of Africa in the global economy, the kind of future trajectories we are likely to experience, and the potential, limits and effects of different kinds of value chain development interventions and industrial policy. Each session will include a lecture, group discussion, work on their papers, and/or hands-on work related to the theme of the session – this can include simulations, role-play and/or problem-solving exercises.
Description of the teaching methods
The course is structured to combine theory and practice seamlessly. It covers theories of global value chain governance and upgrading and combines them with practical and case study-oriented dialogue and discussion. The course combines lectures, group discussion, exercises and project development. We expect a very high degree of student preparation and participation. Students should be prepared to use the assigned material including the course syllabus. The course is blended and thus it consist of a combination of on-campus and online classes, exercises and material.

Attention is paid to developing students’ ability to consider a variety of options and devise solutions to the complex dilemmas that are faced in the operation of global value chains in Africa, in policy design, and in the workings of development projects based on value chain interventions. These competences will be useful for future work placements in international business operations in/from Africa; in local or international NGOs involved in private-public partnerships for value chain development; in development and value chain consulting; and in international organizations, government departments and bilateral aid agencies.
Feedback during the teaching period
There will be continuous feedback during the course, especially regarding the project each student will be involved in, not least during hands-on exercises relevant to -- or directly about – the individual projects. Such feedback takes the form of Peergrade as well as feedback from teachers. Students are also encouraged to seek individual feedback during regular office hours.
Student workload
Lectures and workshops 30 hours
Exam 77 hours
Preparation 123 hours
Expected literature

Textbooks:

Other assigned articles will be available online via the CBS library or other accessible websites. 
 
Last updated on 25-01-2021