New Technologies and the Evolution of the Value Chain

Proposals submitted under this theme will explore how the transition to electrification and the quest for a more sustainable auto industry is reshaping international production and the nodes of the global auto value chain. Papers in this stream could investigate the rise of emerging auto players and national industries, as well as their industrial strategies to grab new competitive niches linked to the production of EVs. They could focus on strategies to integrate into the existing global auto chain, or to build new value chains at regional or local levels. They could also analyse the interplay between electrification and the rise of new mobility services (ridesharing, carsharing) and the emergence of new business models in the context of MaaS (Mobility as a Service) and BaaS (Battery as a Service) as well as the evolving role of automated driving technologies in these sweeping transformations.
Particular interest will be given to papers investigating structures and players within new battery industries and the battery value chain: who are the emerging actors? What segments are they trying to win and what strategies are they implementing to do so? What tasks are they performing and how are they positioned within the global governance of existing chains?
In this regard, papers exploring cases in the Global South, and questions related to the political economy of raw materials extraction will be particularly welcome. Connections with issues covered under theme 1 -i.e. new divisions of labour and labour restructuring in the global auto chain, linked to electrification, will also be considered.