Morocco and Tunisia in Global Value Chains: focus on business services as innovation drivers

FEM43-03 | February 2019

Title

« Morocco and Tunisia in Global Value Chains: focus on business services as innovation drivers »

By

Pr. José A. CAMACHO, University of Granada, Spain; Mercedes RODRÍGUEZ, University of Granada, Spain; Lahcen OULHAJ, Universite Mohammed V, Morocco; Idriss EL ABBASSI, Universite Mohammed V, Morocco; Said TOUNSI, Universite Mohammed V, Morocco

Contributeurs

University of Granada, Spain; Universite Mohammed V, Morocco

Note :

This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union within the context of the EU-FEMISE project “Support to economic research, studies and dialogue of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership”.. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the authors and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.

Summary :

In this report we will argue that for a better understanding of how business services can contribute to competitiveness and growth in Morocco and Tunisia decomposing trade flows in terms of value added can be a useful first step. We start from the OECD-WTO Trade in Value Added database (OECD, 2016) to decompose exports in value added in business services from Morocco and Tunisia to the EU28 and to the rest of the world. This decomposition is used to compute several indicators of participation in the GVCs. Two business services industries are examined: computer and related activities and R&D and other business activities.

Combining an adequate trade liberalisation and investment policy reforms and the promotion of business linkages between foreign and domestic firms could help local companies move up to GVCs thanks of the transfer of knowledge, skills and technology.