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

Biofuels, Food and Land in Africa and Asia: Global and Local Perspectives (BIO:FLA): Research programme with various components funded by FFU, FSE, RUC and DIIS (individual post-doctoral and PhD funding). Activities under this heading are embedded within the Copenhagen Biofuel Research Network (COBREN), see www.cobren.wordpress.com

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

Selected publications

Stefano Ponte, Peter Gibbon and Jakob Vestergaard (eds), Governing through Standards: Origins, Drivers and Limitations, Palgrave (2011)

Lisa Ann Richey and Stefano Ponte, Brand Aid: Shopping Well to Save the World, University of Minnesota 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)

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 and Review of African Political Economy

Recent external examiner of PhDs at: Department of Geography, University of Frankfurt; 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; Global Environmental Politics; Development and Change; Environment and Planning A; Journal of Development Studies; African Affairs

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

PhD supervision: three completed PhDs, four currently under supervision

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