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Growing in value: NGOs, social movements and the cultivation of developmental value chains in Uttarakhand, India
Author(s) -
NICKOW ANDRE
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
global networks
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.685
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1471-0374
pISSN - 1470-2266
DOI - 10.1111/glob.12087
Subject(s) - upstream (networking) , value (mathematics) , certification , global value chain , value chain , work (physics) , corporate social responsibility , downstream (manufacturing) , business , political science , supply chain , marketing , economics , management , public relations , engineering , international trade , comparative advantage , mechanical engineering , telecommunications , machine learning , computer science
The social consequences of global value chains – including their effects on economic development – are shaped, in part, by non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) and social movement organizations (SMOs). While scholars have extensively explored the causes and effects of downstream corporate social responsibility, we know little about the influence of upstream NGOs and SMOs in shaping value chains. To address this lacuna, I draw on a case study of rural development organizations in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. I find that these groups build marginal producers’ organizational and technical capacity, assist producers in meeting certification standards, and work to cultivate alternative value chain segments, both local and global. Results suggest that NGOs and SMOs help marginal producers to engage more profitably with corporate value chains, even as they simultaneously pursue strategies that are more contentious and that aim to create deeper structural change.