We use new data on political connections from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys to examine  the impact of connections on firms’ participation in global value chains (GVCs) for six MENA  countries (Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, and Lebanon). In addition  to political connections, we construct several measures of “political influence” based on  available data on lobbying and grand corruption. We also explore whether political connections  help firms overcome barriers to trade and investment and increase their participation in GVCs  at the extensive and intensive margins. Our findings suggest that political connections do matter  for firms’ GVC participation. The impact is more pronounced for firms that combine political  connections with informal payments to influence policymaking. Our findings on the significance  of trade and investment barriers for GVC participation for different categories of firms’ political  influence are – however – inconclusive.