Georgetown Americas Institute

The Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and the Georgetown Americas Institute (GAI), in collaboration with CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, have launched a groundbreaking research collaboration exploring how Industry 4.0 technologies are reshaping Global Value Chains (GVCs) in East Asia and Latin America. 

As digital transformation, automation, AI, and smart manufacturing redefine the global economy, this initiative examines how emerging technologies can enhance productivity, competitiveness, and sustainability in key sectors across both regions. By leveraging comparative research, expert analysis, and policy engagement, the project aims to identify strategies that enable developing economies to seize the opportunities of Industry 4.0—while addressing risks of technological exclusion and growing digital divides. 

The research focuses on sector-specific studies across industries such as automotive, electronics, agribusiness, pharmaceuticals, mining, fintech, and digital services, among others, highlighting best practices, innovation pathways, and policy tools that facilitate technological integration into GVCs. It will also examine how public-private collaboration, workforce development, and investment in digital infrastructure can unlock inclusive growth. 

The project will convene a network of leading experts from both regions, organize technical workshops, and culminate in high-level conferences in both Asia and Latin America in the coming year, with results published in an edited volume of the individual papers listed below. 

Through this initiative, ERIA, GAI and CAF seek to generate actionable insights to help policymakers, firms, and development partners navigate the complex transition to a digitally enabled, globally integrated economic future.

Forthcoming Papers

Digital Transformation and the Biotechnology Revolution in Latin America’s Southern Cone

• Authors: Pablo Sanguinetti (Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, Argentina)
  

Technology Adoption and the Agribusiness Sector in Latin America

• Authors: Jose G. Reis (CINDES, Brazil)

Enhancing ASEAN Digital Services Integration into RVC/GVCs through Industry 4.0 Technologies

• Authors: Kati Suominen (NEXTRADE, United States)

Opportunities for Digital Services GVC Competitiveness in Latin America

• Author: Bernardo Diaz de Astarloa (University of Buenos Aires, Argentina)

GVCs in the Era of Industry 4.0: Extractive Industries in Latin America

• Author: Carlo Pietrobelli (UNU-MERIT Maastricht, Netherlands)

Industry 4.0 Technologies in the Chilean Mining Industry and Competitiveness in Critical Minerals GVC

• Authors: Penny Bamber & Karina Fernandez-Stark (Duke University)

Value Chain Analysis of Electrical and Electronic Equipment in the Philippines in the Industry 4.0 Era

• Author: Alvin B. Culaba, Ronnie S. Concepcion II & Jayne Lois San G. Juan (De La Salle University, Philippines)

Vietnam’s Garment Industry in GVCs: What is the Role of Digital Transformation

• Author: Duc Anh Dang & Anh Tran (CIEM, Vietnam)

Fintech GVCs in Latin America

• Author: Juan Antonio Ketterer (US)

Industry 4.0 and the Value Chain of the Healthcare Industry in Malaysia

• Author: Baskaran Angathevar & VGR Chandran Govindaraju (University of Malaya, Malaysia)

Digital Technology Adoption in the GVC Automotive Industry in Japan, Indonesia, and Vietnam

• Author: Martin Schorder & Lorenza Monaco (Ritsumeikan University, Japan & UCL, UK)

Korea’s Automotive Industry in Transition: Navigating Digital Transformation and the Evolving GVCs

• Author: Doyoung Eom & Heejin Lee (Yonsei University, Korea)

Global Value Chains in the Era of Industry 4.0: The Case of New Zealand Agriculture

• Author: Derek Gill (Victoria University of Wellington and NZIER)

Impacts of Digitalization on Indonesian Agriproduct Value Chains

• Author: Kalamullah Ramli & Herry Nugraha (University of Indonesia)

Digitization, Trade Competitiveness, and Global Value Chains: Evidence from India’s Pharmaceutical Sector

• Author: Sanjay Kumar Mangla (Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies, India)