Does value chain participation facilitate the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in developing countries?

M. Delera, C. Pietrobelli*, E. Calza, A. Lavopa

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

The adoption of new technology is a key driver of firm performance and economic development. Yet the process of transferring and adopting new technologies is not seamless, particularly when the pace of technological change accelerates, and more advanced capabilities are required for the effective operation of new technology. In this paper we develop a framework for the analysis of the drivers of adoption of advanced digital production technologies associated with Industry 4.0 in developing economies. In particular, we ask whether firms' participation to global value chains (GVCs) can facilitate the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in manufacturing sectors. Using a novel UNIDO database on firms' adoption of different generations of production technology in Ghana, Viet Nam, and Thailand, we find that firms' participation to GVCs is positively associated with the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies, and that adoption is positively associated with firm-level performance. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Original languageEnglish
Article number105788
Number of pages14
JournalWorld Development
Volume152
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2022

Keywords

  • GVCs
  • Industry 4.0
  • Technology adoption
  • Economic development
  • Capabilities
  • GLOBAL VALUE CHAINS
  • INNOVATION SYSTEMS
  • ICT ADOPTION
  • CAPABILITIES
  • DIFFUSION
  • GROWTH
  • PRODUCTIVITY
  • GOVERNANCE
  • MARKET
  • FIRMS

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