# Gary Gereffi

Gary Allan Gereffi (born July 23, 1948 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American economic sociologist, policy activist, author, and academic. Gereffi is emeritus Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of the Global Value Chains Center at Duke University. He is one of the originators of the Global Value Chains (GVC) framework and he is known for his work on governance structures and upgrading strategies in GVCs, global commodity chain (GCCs), dependency theory, cross-regional development strategies in Latin America and East Asia, and the role of multinational corporations (MNCs) in development.
Gereffi is recognized for his significant contributions to understanding global value chains and their impact on international development policies, including extensive collaborations with diverse multilateral organizations. His collaboration with scholars like Raphael Kaplinsky, John Humphrey, Timothy Sturgeon, Stefano Ponte, Jennifer Bair, Joonkoo Lee and Valentina De Marchi resulted in a theoretical framework that sheds light on the complexities of globalization.

## Early life and education

Gereffi was born in 1948 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Emily and Nicky Gereffi (homemaker and watchmaker/letter carrier, respectively). Gary was the oldest of four children (two brothers, Paul and Mark, and a sister, Holly). The family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1955 and Gary graduated from Cardinal Gibbons High School in 1966.
He attended the University of Notre Dame on a National Association of Letter Carriers scholarship and graduated in 1970 with a B.A. degree in sociology. The following year he spent hitchhiking with his college roommate (John C. Rudolf) through Mexico, Central America, Switzerland, Spain, and Africa, culminating in a trip across the Sahara Desert from Algiers to Niamey, Niger, to Lagos, Nigeria, where Gereffi taught high school before beginning his doctoral studies in sociology at Yale in 1971. He received his PhD from Yale and pursued an interdisciplinary program in international development. Mentored by scholars like Louis Wolf Goodman and Alfred Stepan, who worked on MNCs in Latin America and were familiar with dependency theory, Gereffi received funding for a two-year Foreign Area Fellowship from the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) to study MNCs in Mexico. There, he worked on his dissertation project which focused on MNCs in the pharmaceutical industry in Mexico. Gereffi's subsequent work at Harvard University and with the United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations in New York and the Pan American Health Organization in Washington, DC extended into policy-related studies of MNCs in the global pharmaceutical industry, laying the foundation for the governance structure and industrial upgrading pillars of the GCC and GVC paradigms in later.

## Career

In 1980, Gereffi joined the faculty in the Sociology Department at Duke University. Five years later, in 1985, he became an associate professor with tenure. In 1994, he became a full Professor of Sociology at Duke and stayed there until 2018. He served as the Director of Markets and Management Studies Program at Duke from 1997 to 2003, and as the Founding Director of the Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness (CGGC) from 2006 to 2018. Gereffi has been an Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Duke since 2018.

### The Global Value Chains framework

In his book Global value chains and development: Redefining the contours of 21st century capitalism, Gereffi addresses major global economic changes spanning more than 50 years. Taking into account key historical events such as the creation of the Bretton Woods system, the rise of global supply chains, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the emergence of economic nationalism in the mid-2010s, he offers an original interpretation of fundamental transformations in global capitalism, exploring the determinants of the reorganization of the international economy and examining the winners and losers in the process.
Gereffi traces the roots of GCC studies to early dependency studies in the 1970s and 1980s. Dependency analysis focused on power dynamics, transnational structures, and strategies of MNCs, with case studies examining the roles of governments, local firms, and workers. In contrast, world-systems theory, associated with Immanuel Wallerstein, presented a hierarchical model of core, semiperipheral, and peripheral zones, with limited possibilities for autonomous national development.
The concept of commodity chains, initially introduced in the world-systems approach, became central in the co-edited volume Commodity Chains and Global Capitalism by Gereffi and Korzeniewicz (1994), marking a distinct break from world-systems theory. The emergence of the GVC paradigm is characterized by a focus on MNCs, power dynamics, the analysis of global industries, reconceptualizing the role of the state in development strategies, and institutionalizing the GVC research agenda. The study of multinational enterprises was initially underexplored but gained attention through efforts like the Multinational Enterprise Project at Harvard Business School, directed by Raymond Vernon, which emphasized MNCs as both political and economic forces, challenging conventional economic models.
Gereffi analyzes the limitations of dependency theory, particularly its lack of a comprehensive global perspective on MNCs. While dependency theorists focused on class structures and alliances in peripheral countries, they did not provide a top-down analysis of international industries. World-systems theory, while having a more global perspective, lacked detailed mechanisms and actors in its tripartite classification of core, semiperipheral, and peripheral zones. The United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations (UNCTC) played a significant role in addressing this gap by commissioning empirical studies, including Gereffi's work on the global pharmaceutical industry. These early studies commissioned by UNCTC, laid the foundation for the subsequent GCC and GVC literatures, emphasizing the policy relevance and power dynamics within specific industries. The focus on governance structures became a key concept in the subsequent GCC and GVC frameworks.

### Gereffi on the impact of Covid-19 on Global Value Chains

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in GVCs for medical supplies, emphasizing a need for increased resilience. The traditional economic model, driven by globalization, faced challenges due to disruptions caused by the pandemic. While some argue that GVCs optimized for efficiency and lacked short-term adaptability, others point to the quick rebound of Chinese exports of personal protective equipment as evidence of resilience. The dependence on imports for essential health supplies, especially in the U.S., highlighted the importance of reevaluating GVCs. In a 2021 article he wrote for UNIDO's Industrial Analytics Platform, Gereffi explored the movement of COVID-critical medical supplies and the interplay between reliance on imports and domestic production, emphasizing the need for a delicate balance between increased flexibility and the efficiency and welfare advantages of GVCs. The growth of medical device production in developing economies and the potential risks of reshoring were discussed, emphasizing the complexity of GVC relationships. Gereffi argued that building future resilience requires careful consideration of redundancy, risk management, and standardization, avoiding a complete loss of cost control. He also warned against a hasty shift from a 'just-in-time' to a 'just-in-case' economy, as it may undermine the gains associated with integrated GVCs.

### Testimony in the U.S. Senate (2021)

On July 15, 2021, Gereffi presented an oral and written testimony to the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation of the U.S. Senate. His testimony focused on the crucial issue of "Implementing Supply Chain Resiliency." Gereffi highlighted the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global supply chains and emphasized the need for resilient supply chains to address recurrent risks from various sources, including natural events and government policies. He outlined three main themes in his testimony: the rise of global supply chains as a research field; building blocks of resilient supply chains; and recommendations for actions the U.S. federal government can take. Gereffi provided insights into the evolution of supply chain research as a field, its interdisciplinary nature, and the significance of GVC frameworks in understanding economic dynamics at various levels. The testimony emphasized the importance of a resilient supply chain for dynamic, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth.

### On U.S. industrial policy under the Biden administration

In a June 2023 interview for UNU-MERIT, Gereffi reflected on his career focus and the evolution of supply chains over time. Gereffi highlighted the ongoing impact of technological revolutions, emphasizing the need for nuanced analyses that consider the uneven and fast-paced nature of technological advancements. Discussing the role of developing countries in supply chains, he emphasized the strategic value of natural resources, particularly in emerging industries like electric vehicles and semiconductors. Gereffi suggested that developing countries should invest in processing capabilities to add value to their raw materials and actively participate in GVCs. Addressing the dialogue around deglobalization, Gereffi cautioned against oversimplified approaches, noting the complexity of modern industries and the efficiencies derived from international supply chains. He also expressed optimism about innovations in the digital economy and sustainable development, specifically in areas such as recycling and distribution systems, to enhance supply chain resiliency in the face of challenges like climate change.

### University of Padova Honorary Doctorate in Economics and Management

On March 13, 2023, the University of Padova awarded Gereffi an Honorary Doctorate in Economics and Management as part of its 800th anniversary celebrations. A live-streamed ceremony for the event was organized with leading GVC scholars attending. Later, the University of Padova assembled the proceedings and speeches of the ceremony and published it in both Italian and English (under a Creative Commons license). Edited by Valentina De Marchi, Marco Bettiol, and Eleonora Di Maria, the English version is titled “Global Value Chain studies: taking stock, looking ahead”. Gereffi's extensive collaboration with Italian scholars began in spring 2005 when Gereffi went to Venice International University on the island of San Servolo in Venice for a semester of teaching. Since that date, multiple scholars from the Venetian and Paduan “schools” in Italy have made significant contributions to GVC scholarship, often in collaboration with Gereffi. A few of the more distinctive themes include: (a) extending the well-known research on Italian “industrial districts” to include new theoretical and empirical insights based on GVC theory concerning the governance and upgrading of global supply chains; (b) a more detailed analysis of the role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the evolution and internationalization of Italian industrial districts; and (c) adding environmental upgrading and sustainability to the topics being addressed by Italian scholars in the GVC literature.

### EIBA 2024 Distinguished Honorary Fellow Award

Gereffi received the European International Business Academy's (EIBA) Distinguished Honorary Fellow Award in December 2024 at the organization’s 50th Annual Conference in Espoo, Finland. Gereffi received the award at the Gala Dinner on December 14, 2024. EIBA recognized his contributions on global value chains, noting how his work informed both academic research and policy discussions on economic development, trade, and sustainability. He joined a prestigious list of previous awardees that included former Nokia CEO Jorma Ollila, Financial Times columnist Martin Wolf, and UCLA Professor Michael Storper. The award stressed Gereffi’s influence in bridging theory with real-world challenges and reinforced the continued relevance of his contributions to international business research.

### Nearshoring in Mexico: a 2025 ECLAC study

In 2025, the United Nations' Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) commissioned Gereffi to produce a report titled, "Nearshoring in Mexico: Diverse Options for Industrial Upgrading". The report analyzed the complexities and policy considerations associated with shifting segments of supply chains closer to the United States. The study focused on Mexico's experiences under previous industrial regimes, the implications of global value chains, and the country's position amid mounting U.S.–China tensions. Gereffi emphasized that successful nearshoring strategies in Mexico call for an active industrial policy to strengthen infrastructure, enhance technological capabilities, and ensure a skilled workforce, all of which could bolster the country's potential for higher-value economic activities.