World Bank, USA
IZA World of Labor role
Author
Current position
Senior Economist in the World Bank’s Africa Department
Research interest
Trade and industrial policy, foreign direct investment, regional economic development
Positions/functions as a policy advisor
Worked in World Bank’s International Trade Department and, prior to joining the World Bank in 2009, Regional Director with the South African consultancy Kaiser Associates Economic Development Partners
Qualifications
PhD Economic Geography, London School of Economics and Political Science, 2009
Selected publications
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Making Foreign Direct Investment Work for Sub-Saharan Africa: Local Spillovers and Competitiveness in Global Value Chains. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2014 (with D. Winkler).The Internal Geography of Trade: Lagging Regions and Global Markets. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2013.
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Do global value chains create jobs?
Impacts of GVCs depend on lead firms, specialization, skills, and institutions
Thomas Farole, August 2016Global value chains (GVCs) describe the cross-national activities and inputs required to bring a product or service to the market. While they can boost exports and productivity, the resulting labor market impacts vary significantly across developing countries. Some experience large-scale manufacturing employment, while others see a shift in demand for labor from manufacturing to services, and from lower to higher skills. Several factors shape the way in which a country’s labor market will be impacted by GVC integration, including the type of sector, lead firms’ strategies, domestic skills base, and the institutional environment.MoreLess