Proceedings of the International Conference on Advancing Economics (ICAE): Redefining Growth: Integrating Economy Society and Sustainability for a Resilient Future (ICAE 2026)

International Conference on Advancing Economics (ICAE): Redefining Growth: Integrating Economy Society and Sustainability for a Resilient Future (ICAE 2026)

📍Ghaziabad, Delhi NCR, India🗓️ 25-26 February 2026
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Social Upgrading in Global Value Chains: A Longitudinal Study of Home-Based Workers in India (1999–2018)

Authors
Amit Kumar1, *
1Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, and Fellow at Centre for Social and Policy Research (CSPR), Christ University, Bengaluru, India
*Corresponding author. Email: amit.k@christuniversity.in
Corresponding Author
Amit Kumar
Available Online 8 October 2026.
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6239-795-8_6How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Home-based workers; Global Value Chains; Social upgrading; Decent Work; Informal employment
Abstract

Home-based workers (HBWs) form a major part of India’s informal workforce, especially in global value chains (GVCs). This paper examines whether GVC participation has led to social upgrading for HBWs, using five decent work indicators: earnings, job contracts, paid leave, social security, and unionisation. Based on unit-level data from five survey rounds (1999–2018), it finds modest wage gains alongside a decline in enabling rights, particularly for rural and female HBWs. The study highlights a disconnect between economic and social upgrading and calls for stronger labour regulation and social protection for non-standard workers.

Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the International Conference on Advancing Economics (ICAE): Redefining Growth: Integrating Economy Society and Sustainability for a Resilient Future (ICAE 2026)
Series
Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research
Publication Date
8 October 2026
ISBN
978-94-6239-795-8
ISSN
2352-5428
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6239-795-8_6How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Amit Kumar
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/08
TI  - Social Upgrading in Global Value Chains: A Longitudinal Study of Home-Based Workers in India (1999–2018)
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Advancing Economics (ICAE): Redefining Growth: Integrating Economy Society and Sustainability for a Resilient Future (ICAE 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 76
EP  - 99
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-795-8_6
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-795-8_6
ID  - Kumar2026
ER  -