Frontiers of Commodity Chain Research

Taking stock of the state-of-the-art, as well as outlining new directions for commodity chain research, this distinctive volume includes original work from major figures in sociology, history, geography, and labor studies. It underscores the wide and interdisciplinary appeal of chain approaches for analyzing the economic, social, and political dimensions of international trade and production networks. Commodity chain analysis sheds light on the political and ecological implications of economic globalization and on how activists in pursuit of social justice, workers' rights, and environmental protection can use it. Following a substantive review of literature in the field, the collection goes on to examine theoretical and methodological debates over how to conduct research on global commodity and value chains, how power is exercised through these chains, and how global economic activities are coordinated across space. The result is a rich and unusually coherent volume that demonstrates how commodity and value chain analysis is informing contemporary research in a variety of fields.

Jennifer Bair is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Program in Ethics, Politics and Economics at Yale University.