Using a large firm-level dataset from the Chinese manufacturing industry, this paper studies the productivity gap and productivity convergence between large and small firms in China. We find that small firms are less productive relative to large firms, but the productivity gap became smaller...

This paper sheds light on the issue of SME financing in selected Asian economies using a unique sample survey. It elaborates on (i) the key sources of external finance for SMEs (ii) the extent to which, if at all, the SME sector as identified by firm size, country and in aggregate for a sample...

This study analyses the influence of host-site institutional support, foreign ownership and regional production linkages on firm-level technological capabilities using data from automotive firms in Indonesia. The results show that host-site institutional support and foreign ownership are...

This article examines the development of China’s automotive industry. The evidence shows that integration in global production networks has stimulated upgrading of technological capabilities among automotive firms. However, the competitiveness and intra-industry analyses show mixed results....

This article examines the transformation of clothing manufacturing in China with a focus on institutional support, technological upgrading and global production chains. The evidence shows that reforms and integration into global production chains has rapidly expanded China’s exports but it has...

This article examines the relationship between institutional support and regional production linkages, and technological capabilities and firm performance in the garment industry in Laos. The evidence shows that garment firms in Laos have achieved considerable technological upgrading, and that...

This article examines how global production networks have benefited technological upgrading in the semiconductor industry in China. The evidence shows that trade has impacted positively on technological capabilities. The empirical evidence show that 93 percent of firms were engaged in...

The Philippines pioneered the establishment of automotive assembly in Southeast Asia in the 1950s. But Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia lead the region since the 1990s. The foremost reasons for the decline are policy incoherence and unchecked inflows of smuggled cars, which is reflected in the...

This article examines the relationships between host-site institutional support and firm-level technological upgrading, and between technological upgrading and domestic production linkages in the semiconductor industry in Singapore. An evolutionary perspective was used to measure technological...

Although Thailand’s electronics industry has been considered as one of strategic sectors, the evidence in this article shows that it is dominated by midstream and downstream activities. Despite accounting for a quarter of electronics exports, semiconductors manufacturing is confined to low...