Collaborative Research: A Comparative Study of ICT Industry Development in the Beijing, Shanghai-Suzhou, and Shenzhen-Dongguan City Regions in China

全球化通常被认为是跨国公司（TNCs）投资和组织遥远的当地人进入全球生产网络的过程。然而，全球力量如何与不同的地方背景交叉，以及这种交叉如何影响发展中区域的技术轨迹，是没有达成共识的问题。本研究比较了北京、上海-苏州和深圳-东莞三个地区的信息通信产业发展情况。它们加起来占中国信息通信技术生产和消费的最大份额。然而，每个地区发展出不同的产业结构和区域化进程，具有不同的全球/地方网络，在全球ICT生产中扮演着不同的角色。鉴于中国是全球最大的信息通信技术生产国和出口国之一，其信息通信技术是最具活力的全球产业之一，区域比较提供了一个机会，可以挑战长期建立的国际劳动分工理论，并通过考虑发展中市场和本土企业在创新活动中的作用，产生关于生产和创新地理的新理论。该研究还将细致入微地分析外部力量如何塑造本地生产网络，进而影响创新过程。研究人员确定了跨国公司与当地公司发展联系的五个主要方面，并认为影响当地网络发展的不是跨国公司联系的存在，而是跨国公司联系的性质。该项目进一步将跨国公司/地方网络的结构（以这种联系的强度和全面性来衡量）与公司和区域一级的技术活力联系起来。这样，这项研究有望有助于更深入地了解全球/地方网络在为发展中国家推进技术方面的相互作用。主要数据将通过实地调查和对各地区企业或政府机构的密集访谈来收集。这项研究将提供有关中国在全球信息通信技术产业中最重要地区的最新信息和新见解，并将传播给感兴趣的商业社区和美国的技术决策者。这项研究还有望将来自发展中国家的技术变革和创新的新例子插入到主要由发达国家案例主导的课程中。该项目将通过汇集本科生和研究生助理，加强国际研究合作的基础设施；以及来自美国、台湾、香港和中国大陆的研究人员。

Globalization is often characterized as a process in which transnational corporations (TNCs) invest and organize distant locals into a global production network. Yet, how does the global force intersect with different local contexts, and how do such intersections affect technological trajectories in the developing regions are questions without consensus. This study compares the development of information and communication industry (ICT) in the three regions of China: Beijing, Shanghai-Suzhou and Shenzhen-Dongguan. Together, they account for the lion's share of China's ICT production and consumption. However, each region has developed a different industrial structure and regionalization process, featured different global/local networks, and performed distinct roles in the global ICT production. Given that China is among the largest global ICT producers and exporters, and its ICT is one of the most dynamic global industries, the regional comparison provides an opportunity to challenge the long established theories on international division of labor, and also to generate new theories on geographies of production and innovation by taking into consideration the roles of developing markets and indigenous firms in innovative activities. The study will also offer a nuanced analysis on how external forces shape the local production network and in turn the innovation process. The researchers identify five principal dimensions along which TNCs may develop linkages with local firms and argues that it is not the existence, but rather, the nature of TNC linkages that affect the development of local networks. The project further links the configuration of TNC/local networks, measured by both the strength and comprehensiveness of such linkages, to the technology dynamism at the firm and regional levels. In this way, the research promises to contribute to a deeper understanding of the interplay of global/local networks in advancing technology for developing countries. The primary data will be collected through field surveys and intensive interviews at the enterprises or governmental agencies in each region. This research will provide updated information and new insights on China's most important regions in the global ICT industry, which will be disseminated to interested business communities and technology policy makers in the United States. The study also promises to interject fresh examples of technology change and innovation from developing countries into a curriculum that is largely dominated by cases from advanced countries. The project will strengthen the infrastructure of international research collaboration by bringing together undergraduate and graduate assistants; and researchers from the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China.