Course

Trade Today: Measuring and Assessing Risk in Global Value Chains

Sep 22, 2026 - Oct 27, 2026

$1,500 Enroll

Full course description

Dates: September 22, 2026 – October 27, 2026 – Online
 
This course examines how trade data are used in real-world policy analysis to assess exposure, dependence, and risk in global value chains. Rather than treating trade statistics as neutral and complete facts, the course emphasizes how measurement choices shape policy narratives and decisions. Students progress through a structured analytical sequence beginning with gross trade data, moving to trade in
value added (TiVA), incorporating ownership and multinational enterprise data, and culminating in network-based risk analysis and emerging AI-enabled approaches. Throughout the course, participants repeatedly reassess the same strategic product to understand how different data lenses alter conclusions about vulnerability, leverage, and resilience. The course is designed to develop fluency in the strengths and limits of commonly used trade and supply chain datasets, with practical application to economic security and industrial policy questions.
 
What You Will Learn:
  • Trade Data Types: Learn the differences between traditional trade and TiVA data and how both can help navigate an increasingly complex and uncertain trade environment.
  • Market Trends & Economic Insights: Discover how to identify trends and anticipate potential disruptions caused by a volatile trade policy environment building a comprehensive view of market trends and economic impacts.
  • Analysis Skills: Gain experience with data analysis tools to enhance your ability to provide strategic advice to decision-makers.
  • Supply Chains & Vulnerabilities: Explore the role of multinational corporations and learn how TiVA databases can reveal supply chain risks.
  • Policy & Compliance: Understand the intersection of trade data, policy, and regulatory compliance in a globalized economy.
  • Networking & Practical Application: Build connections and leave with tools to make informed, strategic trade decisions.
  
Sessions
  • Session 1: Trade Policy Framing and Gross Trade Data
  • Session 2: Introduction to Trade in Value Added (TiVA)
  • Session 3: National and Firm Dimensions of Value Chains
  • Session 4: Identifying Risks and Chokepoints in Global Value Chains 
  • Session 5: New Frontiers in GVC Data and Risk Detection
 
Key Questions:
  • How can the OECD and other TiVA (Trade in Value Added) databases be used to identify potential supply chain vulnerabilities in an era of rising uncertainty around trade policy and tariffs?   
  • How does one develop and assess trade and national security policies in an integrated world economy? 
  • How are TiVA databases created? 
  • How might tariff, trade, and industrial policy changes impact the organization of global value chains? 
 
Learning  Objectives:
  • Understand how trade and value chain data are used in trade, national security, and industrial policy contexts
  • Distinguish clearly between gross trade exposure and value-added exposure
  • Interpret TiVA statistics and articulate their key assumptions and limitations
  • Assess how ownership, multinational enterprises, and firm heterogeneity might affect policy-relevant exposure
  • Identify concentration risks and chokepoints using network-based logic
  • Evaluate emerging AI-enabled and firm-level data tools as complements to TiVA
  • Match analytical tools to specific policy questions rather than treating any single dataset as definitive

 

Policies and Processes

Refunds:

The following is the refund policy for courses registered through our Professional and Lifelong Learning Portal ( https://american.catalog.instructure.com/ ).

Learners will be eligible for a refund (minus any non-refundable fees) if they drop a course and request a refund no later than the date the course starts as per the dates in Canvas and/or Canvas Catalog platforms. If a learner registered for a course after the start date, they will be ineligible for a refund.

Learners registered for on-demand courses without a start date will be eligible for a refund if the course is dropped and a refund is requested within 24 hours of registration and when there is no record of page views or participation in the Canvas Platform.

Refund requests will be denied if requested after a course’s start date, 24 hours after registration in the case of on-demand courses without a start date, or when there is a record of page views or participation in the canvas Platform.

Payments and fees:

For payments with credit cards, debit cards or bank accounts, the tuition cost includes a non-refundable 4% administrative fee. In case an eligible refund is requested, the net funds returned will be the tuition minus 4%. 

Notice about AU Non-Credit Courses:

Non-credit courses are not recorded in American University transcripts. No credit is earned from these courses and grades are not posted. Learners enrolled in Non-Credit courses will not receive an AU ID or have access to services and or facilities reserved for AU students. Access to the AU library system will be available to all members of the greater Washington DC area through visitor services. See the link for more information  https://www.american.edu/library/services/visitors.cfm

 

For Information about this course:

SIS Strategic Partnerships
partnerships@american.edu