Normally, countries with weak domes

Normally, countries with weak domestic backward linkages in their exporting sectors also have weak international forward linkages (with the exception of countries whose main exports are natural resources). In this regard, an economy specializing in the assembly of final goods that imports high levels of intermediates will itself produce few intermediates destined to exports. Given that the final stages of production (i.e. assembly) usually carry the lowest levels of value added, achieving economic development would require that countries develop both strong domestic backward linkages and strong international forward linkages