Global Production and the Challenge of Governance at the Trade-Health Nexus

Many industries in the world have witnessed the globalization of production and a move towards increased concentration, with multinational “lead firms” driving geographical, technological, and marketing changes. This trend is also apparent in sectors involved in the production of goods with negative implications for public health like (parts of) the food-, tobacco- and alcohol industry. This development poses challenges for trade and health governance. After all, a clear tension exists between the signing of (multilateral and bilateral) trade agreements – aimed at facilitating the cross border movement of investments, technologies, production capacity, raw materials and final products – and efforts to fight the global spread of non-communicable diseases related to unhealthy diets and the consumption of tobacco and alcohol products. This paper will engage in an in-depth GVC analysis of the tobacco industry and an assessment of the institutional and political governance of this sector at the international level. By focusing on the institutional and political side of GVC and market governance, the paper provides a much needed complement to the existing literature, which is dominated by analyses on how the globalization of production impacts inter- and intra firm governance.