This article analyzes the concept of the production chain as a response to the crisis of traditional economic analysis. It reviews the history and uses of the concept, particularly in French industrial economics, and discusses its relevance for understanding firm strategies, input-output relations, industrial policy, and systems of representation. The article argues that the production chain is both an analytical tool and a way to rethink the organization of productive systems during periods of economic crisis.
Bertrand Bellon (Sat,) studied this question.