The Regional Studies Association Research Network on on Green(ing) Global Value Chains for Sustainable Regional Development (GGVC4SRD)
The Green Transition presents significant economic, institutional and political shifts, challenging our understanding of sustainable regional development. Green Global Value Chains (GGVCs) and their actors such as lead firms and labourers take centre stage in this evolving relationship between sustainability and economic development. How frameworks like the EU’s Green Deal, due diligence laws, carbon taxes and carbon markets will reshape value chain governance and outcomes, particularly at the sub-national level, remains under-explored. This Research Network addresses this gap by advancing an interdisciplinary research agenda on GGVC and sustainable regional development from multiple, critical angles. Through workshops, RSA special sessions, and digital events, the network will create a platform for sharing cutting-edge research from established scholars while fostering new voices, especially from early career researchers and Global South scholars to push an emerging agenda of highest societal importance. A digital workshop and a webinar will promote and disseminate the network’s work.
Future Events
Green Global Value Chains for Sustainable Regional Development (GGVC4SRD)
Kick-off workshop with network members, LSE (Closed Event)
12 November, 12.30 – 18.00 GMT
The kick-off workshop for the Green Global Value Chains for Sustainable Regional Development (GGVC4SRD) network will convene members to outline the network’s objectives, establish a shared agenda, and catalyse collaboration. Network members will briefly introduce their ongoing research on green global value chains, fostering visibility of expertise and complementarities across the network. A mini-keynote will frame key concepts and emerging debates, followed by Q&A to carve out research priorities. Building on this, a facilitated group discussion will map a pipeline of future activities—including thematic research areas, methodological approaches, joint publications, and engagement with policy partners—setting the foundation for an impactful, well-coordinated research programme.
RSA Regional Futures Conference
Sustainability in a Fragmented World: Rethinking Regional Development through GGVCs
13 November, 13:45 – 14:45 GMT
Amid evolving geopolitical dynamics and shifting trade relationships, the transition toward Green Global Value Chains (GGVCs) raises important questions about the balance between sustainability goals and increasing global fragmentation. As firms and regions respond to emerging carbon regulations, due diligence requirements, and green industrial policies, the uneven capacity to adapt risks reinforcing existing disparities. This panel explores how the green transition is reshaping value chain governance and the possibilities for sustainable regional development. Drawing on perspectives from global value chain analysis, innovation studies, and regional political economy, the discussion will examine how the tensions between fragmentation and sustainability shape new opportunities—and risks—for regions across both advanced and emerging economies.
Opening Talk: Stefano Ponte, Centre for Business and Development Studies (CBDS), Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
Roberta Rabellotti, Università di Pavia, Italy
RSA Regional Futures Conference Special sessions
This special session, convened as part of the inaugural meeting of the RSA-funded Green Global Value Chains for Sustainable Regional Development (GGVC4SRD) Research Network, examines the critical roles that actors within GGVCs — particularly multinational lead firms, suppliers, and labourers — play in shaping sustainable development outcomes. It will explore how these actors respond to new green governance mechanisms, how their decisions shape patterns of regional upgrading or exclusion, and how subnational institutions can engage more effectively to promote just and place-sensitive transitions. At the same time, the session will consider how green global value chains can be aligned with the protection of natural capital — ensuring that expanded global linkages through trade and investment do not intensify pressures on local ecosystems or planetary boundaries.
Green Global Value Chains for Sustainable Regional Futures I
13 November, 11:00 – 13:00 GMT
Green Global Value Chains for Sustainable Regional Futures II
13 November, 2:45 PM – 4:45 PM GMT