Jelto Makris

What sparked your interest in researching sustainability in global value chains?

I’m often struck by how hard it is to trace where everyday consumer products come from and what social or environmental costs they carry. During fieldwork with small-scale fishers in Peru, I saw how well-meaning sustainability and traceability policies can unintentionally exclude local producers without improving outcomes. These experiences drive my interest in how global value chains are governed – and how they might be reshaped to work better for the people and ecosystems they rely on.

What is the focus of your current research, and what impact do you hope it will have?

My research focuses on the implementation and impacts of mandatory supply chain regulations in producing countries, particularly through a political science and development studies lens. I focus on how these regulations affect agri-food and fisheries sectors in Latin America, and how interactions between producers, public authorities, companies, and NGOs influence social, economic, and environmental outcomes. By combining literature reviews, fieldwork, and comparative case studies, I aim to identify the contextual factors that make supply chain governance more effective and equitable – especially for those whose perspectives are often underrepresented in international and national policymaking.

What do you see as the biggest knowledge gaps in sustainable global value chains?

While much attention has been paid to the development of EU due diligence laws and formal compliance and reporting mechanisms, we know far less about their real-world impacts – particularly on livelihoods, labor rights, and environmental sustainability in informal and lower-tier supply chain contexts. Another major gap lies in understanding how global governance frameworks interact with existing local institutions, legal systems, and norms, often creating hybrid governance arrangements. We also need more research on how place-based resource governance efforts can be aligned with transnational chain regulations – and on whether state-led initiatives complement or conflict with market-driven approaches in practice.

How do you hope to collaborate with others in this research network?

The project brings together diverse disciplinary perspectives, sectors, and geographies to examine supply chain regulations. I’m especially interested in collaborative efforts that move beyond isolated case studies to compare implementation dynamics across contexts, and to identify shared challenges and enabling conditions. I look forward to exchanging data, methods, and field insights – and to learn from each other’s work to develop more grounded, context-sensitive approaches to value chain governance.