The production of parts for high‐technology final products can play an important role in advancing economic development. This appears a particularly attractive outcome for least developed countries (LDCs). But due to data constraints, analysis has been based largely on middle‐income economies. We seek to address this gap by using proxy data to explore the position of Asian LDCs in electronics and automotive production. Our analysis shows that there has been a surprising amount of LDC trade activity in these sectors over the past decade. In addition, a group of LDCs has succeeded in what appears to be successful engagement with these production networks. We discuss the forms of participation we observe and ask whether they might enable countries to attain development outcomes that might otherwise be out of reach.

中文翻译：

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亚洲最不发达国家在先进制造业生产网络中处于边缘地位吗？

高科技最终产品的零件生产可以在促进经济发展中发挥重要作用。对于最不发达国家而言，这似乎是一个特别诱人的结果。但是由于数据限制，分析主要基于中等收入经济体。我们试图通过使用代理数据来探索亚洲最不发达国家在电子和汽车生产中的地位，以解决这一差距。我们的分析表明，过去十年来，这些部门的最不发达国家贸易活动令人惊讶。此外，一群最不发达国家似乎成功地参与了这些生产网络。我们讨论了我们观察到的参与形式，并询问它们是否可能使各国获得原本无法企及的发展成果。