Gaaitzen De Vries is Professor at the University of Groningen and area leader of the Groningen Growth and Development Centre (GGDC). He specialises in international trade and economic development and holds a Ph.D. from the same university. He participates in programmes funded by the FCDO, ESRC, DFID, NSFC, and the European Commission. He has also worked as a consultant for the UN, the OECD, RIETI, and the ADB. His research covers issues related to production fragmentation and structural transformation.