The Socio-Spatial Dimensions of Industrial Change in Bolivia: Manufacturers, Regions, and the Prospects for Global Value Chain Integration

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Economic geographers and regional scientists are striving to better theorize and empirically assess the contexts and interactions that constitute firms, regional economies, and global production networks. The rapid pace of global market integration and the rise of multinational value chains for consumer goods has made increasingly evident the importance of establishing rigorous empirical and theoretical links between micro-social interactions (e.g., business-to-business network-building processes), meso-level contexts (e.g., cities and regions), and macro-scale structures (e.g., global markets). Beyond these conceptual concerns, most research into the dynamics of regional development and economic globalization centers on the activities of firms based in core economies. Needed are more studies of industrial change and innovation from the perspective of firms and industries in the Global South such that scholars and policymakers can better understand how developing countries might more successfully and sustainably become integrated into the world economy. Through an analysis of the socio-spatial dynamics of industrial change in Bolivia's manufacturing sector, this project will contribute to theories on innovation, globalization, and regional development and will provide insights regarding industrial development and innovation in Latin American economies. The project will be conducted in two phases. In the first phase, the researcher will select a manufacturing industry having significant ties to Bolivia (e.g., textiles, apparel, wood products, or jewelry) and will then analyze its main consumer markets, leading firms, and geographic trends in production. In the second phase, in-depth interviews with Bolivian business owners, policy makers, and representatives from leading international firms in the industry (non-Bolivian) will be used to examine: a) the production systems, innovation activities, and networking strategies of Bolivian enterprises; b) the economic policies and industrial development strategies being promoted by leaders in the La Paz and Santa Cruz regions of Bolivia; and c) the expectations and demands associated with global markets and value chains for the industry. The researcher will determine if, how, and why particular production, innovation, and networking practices are situated in specific urban/regional contexts (i.e., La Paz or Santa Cruz) and will assess how the capabilities of Bolivian firms correspond to the demands of leading firms and global consumer markets.The project will improve understandings of how firms, inter-firm networks, and industries operate in regional contexts. Empirically, the study will document characteristics and capabilities of Bolivia's manufacturing sector and will provide insights into the economic, social, and geographic influences on industrial change in Latin American countries. Conceptually, the study will improve the ways in which the links between micro-scale processes (e.g., inter-firm networking practices), meso-scale circumstances (e.g., the socioeconomic characteristics of La Paz and Santa Cruz), and macro-scale phenomena (e.g., global markets) are conceptualized. In doing so, the study will determine if contemporary theories on global value chains adequately account for the market, institutional, and spatial realities of places like Bolivia and how these theories might be modified to more effectively depict such circumstances and the socio-spatial processes associated with industrial upgrading. Practically, the study's findings will inform policymakers seeking new ways to facilitate industrial development and innovation in Bolivia and other countries in the Global South.