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

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

  Open Access•Hazel Gray•Global Networks•2025

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• International trade and industrial upgrading in the apparel commodity chain

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

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• 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

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• The governance of global value chains

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

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• Policy Implications of Trends in Agribusiness Value Chains

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

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• Multichain strategies and economic upgrading in global value chains

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

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

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

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• Governance and Trade in Fresh Vegetables

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

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

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

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• The origin and expansion of regional value chains

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

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• 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

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• Shifting regional dynamics of global value chains

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

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

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

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