Energy and Global Production Networks

Global production networks (GPNs) refer to activities and organizational structures that transform labor, nature, and capital across disparate geographies into commodities and services. The framework is often used to understand economic development and the socio-ecological transformation of natural resources. This chapter describes elemental concepts utilized in the GPN literature such as those used in global commodity chain, global value chain, and supply chain research. It also details the goals, objectives, and debates within the literature. Three case studies related to energy and global production systems—solar photovoltaics, shale gas, and salmon aquaculture—are detailed illustrating what can be learned from the approach.