Stefano Ponte

PhD, Development Studies; MA, International Relations
Senior Researcher, Head of the research unit on Global economy, regulation and development
T: +45 3269 8710, E: , F: +45 3269 8600
Personal CV

Expertise

General: global economy, international (and African) political economy, economic development, global value chains, corporate strategies, standards, 'sustainability’ certifications, 'Brand Aid', celebrities, Product (RED) initiative
Specific: Africa, agro-food value chains, especially coffee, fish, wine and biofuels.
Theoretical: global value chain analysis, convention theory

Selected projects and programmes

Capturing the Gains: Economic, Social and Environmental Upgrading in Global Value Chains: Research network and programme; selected components funded by DfID and ESRC; consortium led by the University of Manchester and Duke University (2010-). www.capturingthegains.org

Sustaining Ethical Aquaculture Trade (SEAT): EU FP7 research programme on value chains for aquaculture products; consortium led by the University of Stirling (2009-2013). www.seatglobal.eu

Standards and Agro-Food Exports (SAFE) – Identifying Challenges and Outcomes for Developing Countries: research and capacity building programme in collaboration with Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania; funded by Danida's research arm (FFU) (2005-2010). www.diis.dk/safe

Standards as a Trade Passport: research project on standards and market access; covering food safety, quality and sustainability standards (fish and wine industries, Uganda and South Africa); funded by the Social Science Research Council of Denmark (FSE) (2003-2007)

Africa, Value Chains and the Global Economy: research programme examining global value chains for six commodities; focus on governance, upgrading, and how ‘global buyers’ set entry barriers in trade; funded by the Social Science Research Council of Denmark (FSE) (1999-2003)

Selected publications

Lisa Ann Richey and Stefano Ponte, Brand Aid: Shopping Well to Save the World, Minnesota University Press: Minneapolis (2011)

Peter Gibbon, Stefano Ponte and Evelyne Lazaro (eds), Global Agro-Food Trade and Standards: Challenges for Africa. Palgrave: London and New York (2010)

Stefano Ponte and Joachim Ewert, "Which Way is 'Up' in Upgrading? Trajectories of Change in the Value Chain for South African Wine", World Development, Vol. 18, No. 4, pp. 483-495 (2009)

Stefano Ponte, Lisa Ann Richey and Mike Baab, "Bono's Product (RED) Initiative: Corporate Social Reponsibility that Solves the Problems of Distant Others", Third World Quarterly, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 301-317 (2009)

Peter Gibbon, Jennifer Bair and Stefano Ponte (eds.), "Governing Global Value Chains", special issue of Economy and Society, Vol. 37, No. 3 (2008)

Stefano Ponte, “Greener than thou: The Political Economy of Fish Ecolabeling and its Local Manifestations in South Africa”, World Development, Vol. 36, No. 1, pp. 159-175 (2008)

Benoit Daviron and Stefano Ponte, The Coffee Paradox: Commodity Trade and the Elusive Promise of Development, Zed Books: London and New York (2005)

Peter Gibbon and Stefano Ponte, Trading Down: Africa, Value Chains and the Global Economy, Temple University Press: Philadelphia (2005)

Selected commissioned work

"A pro-poor value chain development tool for practitioners", UNIDO (May-October 2010)

"Evaluation study: Gender and value chain development", Evaluation Department, Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (December 2009 - May 2010)

"Making the best of value chain participation in Africa", Africa Commission, Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (September-October 2008)

"Evaluating the social impacts of eco- and ethical fish labelling on small scale producerts in Senegal", IDRC and ODI (April-December 2008)

“Research Methods for Integrating Poverty and Environmental Concerns into Value Chain Analysis,” commissioned study by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) (July 2007-March 2008)

Selected research related activities

Member of the editorial board of African Affairs

Recent external examiner óf PhDs at: Centre of African Studies, University of Edinburgh; SOAS, University of London; Development Studies Institute, LSE

Recent referee for: Economy and Society; Review of International Political Economy; World Development; Food Policy; Agriculture and Human Values; Journal of Development Studies; African Affairs; National Science Foundation (USA); Leverhulme Trust (UK), Melissa and Bill Gates Foundation

Courses offered at the Centre of African Studies, University of Copenhagen: 'Trade, business and the state in Africa', 'Africa, trade and the global economy'.

Member of the “Global Value Chain Initiative” (www.globalvaluechains.org)

PhD supervision: three completed PhDs, four currently under supervision

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