Multipolar governance and social upgrading in the international services value chains: The case of support-service workers in Mumbai

A prominent theme in research on global value chains/global production networks is whether economic upgrading in global production networks has been accompanied by social upgrading for the workers involved. This paper aims to contribute to this debate by examining social upgrading among the support-service workers indirectly working for premier international ICT-ITES (Information and Communication Technology-Information Technology Enabled Services) firms in Mumbai (India). By using various Decent-Work indicators, this paper empirically assesses the work and employment conditions of the support-service workers engaged in housekeeping and cab-service segments catering to ICT-ITES firms. Building on the concept of multipolar governance, this paper highlights how at the intersection of two value chains a governance vacuum emerges which limits social upgrading for support-service workers.