Beyond the Dyad: Power Relations in Global Exploitation Chains from an Institutionalist and Gramscian Perspective

Notebooks: The Journal for Studies on Power

Global

This article highlights the embeddedness of dyadic power relations in global supply chains within broader economic, political and social institutions. It sheds light on the institutional context of global supply chains that enables leading transnational corporations (tnc s) to capture most of the value along the chain. It begins with sociological institutionalism’s distinction between regulative, normative and cognitive institutions. It shows how their legal status as juridical persons, intellectual property rights enforced by international treaties, trade agreements and a liberal global financial regime underpin tnc s’ ability to source globally. Since the strength of institutionalism does not lie in an understanding of change, the article continues with a Gramscian look at the deep roots of tnc s in the neoliberal historical bloc, arguing that challenging the hegemony of tnc s requires a comprehensive questioning of a wide range of institutions. Examples from agriculture illustrate the argument.

Available here : https://brill.com/view/journals/powr/3/2/article-p115_002.xml

Scherrer Christoph