The evolution of power in the global coffee value chain and production network
Open accessAbstract
The configurations of global value chains and production networks are constantly changing, leading to new trajectories and geographical distributions of value creation and capture. In this article, we offer a 40-year evolutionary perspective on power and governance in the global coffee value chain and production network. We identify three distinct phases that are characterised by different power dynamics, governance setups and distributional configurations. We find that the kinds of power exercised along the coffee chain have changed, but also that the underlying power inequities between Northern buyers and Southern producers have remained fundamentally unaltered.
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- Authors
- Grabs, J., & Ponte, S.
- Affiliations
- University of Münster (DE)
- Copenhagen Business School (DK)
- Corresponding author
- Grabs, Janina
- Venue
- Journal of Economic Geography
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2019-05-18
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 803-828
- ISSN
- 1468-2702 (ISSN-L)
- 1468-2710
- OpenAlex
- W2945138049
- Cited by
- 202
- References
- 85
- Citations by year
- 2026: 44 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 25 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 5
- FWCI
- 32.29
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- research.cbs.dk
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Economic Geography (publishedVersion)
- CBS Research Portal (Copenhagen Business School) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Land Nordrhein-Westfalen
- TRANSSUSTAIN
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Global trade, sustainability, and social impact
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › World Systems and Global Transformations
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › General Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Agriculture and Agroindustry Studies
- Keywords
- coffee value chain, global value chains, production networks, power relations, governance, value capture, Nevanlinna theory, North-South inequality, coffee farmers
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