Is the geographic trajectory of capitalism toward spatial clustering or dispersal? Recent theoretical work in the stream of 'relational' economic geography includes several dynamic elements that increase the importance of spatial clustering over time. This paper develops the concept of 'modular...

The concept of Global Value Chains (GVCs) provides a pragmatic and parsimonious framework as we seek answers to questions about the dynamic organisation of global industries. In this paper, I discuss the evolution of GVC, the framework, especially the motivations for supplementing the...

In this paper, we apply global value chain (GVC) analysis to study recent trends in the global electronic hardware industry and their implications for upgrading opportunities for firms from developing countries. We identify three key firm level actors – lead firms, contract manufacturers, and...

This paper presents evidence of the importance of electronics global value chains (GVCs) in the global economy, and discusses the effects of the recent economic crisis on the industry. The analysis focuses on how information is exchanged and introduces the concept of"value chain modularity."The...

`Japanese-style' employment is confronting serious challenges in the form of rapidly ageing workforces, changing youth attitudes, rising numbers of female employees, new technology, `internationalization' and `servicization'. Japanese companies are responding to these challenges with notable...