Reshoring, nearshoring or friend-shoring: What is the future of global supply chains?

Global supply chains, which have become increasingly intertwined since the 1990s, have been subject to major disruptions in recent years. Supply-side shocks, including COVID-19 containment measures and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, have significantly disrupted the stability and order that have underpinned the global trading system over the past four decades, while geopolitical and climate-related shocks grow likelier by the day. 

In this event, Beata Javorcik, Chief economist of EBRD, will present the bank's findings on this topic from their 2023 Transition Report, 'Business Unusual'. They found that countries in the EBRD regions are more entwined in global supply chains than the typical middle-income countries, and that firms in these regions have had to implement various measures to adapt to the disruptions.

What steps should policymakers take to increase the robustness and resilience of supply chains? What can corporations do to protect their operations and business interests in this increasingly unstable environment? What is the future role of East Asia in global supply chains?