Power and coordination

There is a growing body of literature exploring governance in regional value chains (RVCs) in Africa. Agro-processing RVCs are of particular interest, as this is where the manufacturing capabilities of most African countries lie. The research on RVCs in Africa highlights governance by lead firms and government actors as an important aspect in determining the structure and outcomes within these RVCs. Using the global value chain (GVC) analytical framework, this article analyses governance in the poultry RVC in South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The paper finds that the poultry RVC is a bilateral oligopoly, where the lead firms are supermarkets and large poultry producers with exclusive rights to multi-territorial breeding rights. The article highlights that both large producers and the supermarkets play an important role in the formation and structure of the poultry RVC, with important implications for regional integration and industrialisation

Agricultural economics · Business · Corporate governance · Economics · Geography · Global value chain · International trade · Poultry farming · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact · Innovation and Socioeconomic Development · Mathematics · Organic Food and Agriculture

• The Changing Features of Governance in Agro-Food Value Chains

  Open Access•Stefano Pontes, Stefano Ponte et al.•European Journal of Development…•2026

  Incluir item

• The Role of Regional Demand in Pathways of Agro-Industrialization

  Open Access•Hazel Gray•Global Networks•2025

  Incluir item

• International trade and industrial upgrading in the apparel commodity chain

  Open Access•Gary Gereffi•Journal of International Economics•1999

  Incluir item

• Understanding regional value chain evolution in peripheral areas through governance interactions – An institutional layering approach

  Open Access•Carolin Hulke, J R Díez•Applied Geography•2022

  Incluir item

• The governance of global value chains

  Gary Gereffi, John D Humphrey et al.•Review of International Political…•2005

  Incluir item

• Policy Implications of Trends in Agribusiness Value Chains

  Open Access•John D Humphrey, John Humphrey•European Journal of Development…•2006

  Incluir item

• Multichain strategies and economic upgrading in global value chains

  Open Access•Giovanni Pasquali, Ananya Krishnan et al.•World Development•2021

  Incluir item

• How does insertion in global value chains affect upgrading in industrial clusters

  John D Humphrey, John Humphrey et al.•Regional Studies•2002

  Incluir item

• Governance and Trade in Fresh Vegetables

  C Dolan, John W Humphrey et al.•The Journal of Development Studies•2000

  Incluir item

• Technological Capabilities, Upgrading, and Value Capture in Global Value Chains

  Open Access•Lindsay Whitfield, Cornelia Staritz et al.•Economic Geography•2020

  Incluir item

• The origin and expansion of regional value chains

  Open Access•Ananya Krishnan, Aarti Krishnan•Global Networks•2018

  Incluir item

• Changing Governance Patterns in the Trade in Fresh Vegetables between Africa and the United Kingdom

  Open Access•C Dolan, John D Humphrey et al.•Environment and Planning A…•2004

  Incluir item

• Shifting regional dynamics of global value chains

  Open Access•Stephanie Barriento, Stephanie Barrientos et al.•Environment and Planning A…•2016

  Incluir item

• Lead Firms and Competition in 'Bi-polar' Commodity Chains

  Open Access•Niels Fold•Journal of Agrarian Change•2002

  Incluir item