TWIN SEEDS: Towards a World Integrated and Socio-economically Balanced European Economic Development Scenario

The objective of the TWIN SEEDS research project is to study recent evolutions of Global Value Chains (GVC), with the aim of understanding the role played by the ‘twin seeds’ of technological transformations and geopolitical and policy shifts in shaping these changes.

The findings will be used as a basis for EU policy recommendations in a range of key areas including trade, investment, competition and social policy.  

The key research questions addressed are:

1. How have GVCs reorganised recently (up to 2019) due to technological, geoeconomics and geo-political transformations?
2. What reconfigurations of GVCs has the COVID-19 pandemic triggered?
3. and especially, what significant social, environmental, competitiveness and growth consequences have emerged as a result of recent and emerging reconfigurations of trade patterns, GVCs and production networks?
4. What policy measures are needed in Europe to secure decent work and working conditions in EU-focused GVCs, rapid progress towards resource-efficiency and decarbonisation, security of supply for strategic goods and sustainable, inclusive and competitive growth?

The analysis will be based on a thorough multi-level (global, national, regional, sectoral, firm level) research framework, relying on a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods, on different multidisciplinary knowledge (regional economists, international economists, international business experts, organisational experts, political scientists) and on an extensive stakeholder engagement.

TWIN SEEDS is funded within the Horizon Europe program, coordinated by Politecnico di Milano (Grant agreement ID: 101056793), involving 10 European partners.

Within TBS Education, the project is led by Dr Louise CURRAN, from the Entrepreneurship & Strategy research laboratory, in partnership with Dr Christian GNEKPE, from the same laboratory. A post-doctoral fellow will be hired to support their work over a period of 18 months.