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

玻利维亚产业变革的社会空间维度：制造商、地区和全球价值链一体化的前景

• 批准号: 0616030
• 负责人: James Murphy
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Clark University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-08-15 至 2010-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0616030&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Socio; Spatial; Dimensions; Industrial; Change

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.

经济地理学家和区域科学家正在努力更好地对构成企业、区域经济和全球生产网络的背景和互动进行理论分析和实证评估。全球市场一体化的快速步伐和消费品多国价值链的兴起日益明显地表明，必须在微观社会互动(例如，企业对企业网络建设过程)、中观环境(例如，城市和地区)和宏观规模结构(例如，全球市场)之间建立严格的经验和理论联系。除了这些概念上的关切之外，对区域发展和经济全球化动态的大多数研究都集中在核心经济体的公司活动上。需要从全球南方的公司和行业的角度对产业变化和创新进行更多的研究，以便学者和政策制定者能够更好地了解发展中国家如何能够更成功和可持续地融入世界经济。通过对玻利维亚制造业工业变化的社会空间动态的分析，该项目将有助于创新、全球化和区域发展的理论，并将为拉丁美洲经济体的工业发展和创新提供见解。该项目将分两个阶段进行。在第一阶段，研究人员将选择与玻利维亚有重要联系的制造业(例如，纺织品、服装、木制品或珠宝)，然后分析其主要消费市场、领先公司和生产的地理趋势。在第二阶段，将利用与玻利维亚企业主、政策制定者和该行业领先国际公司(非玻利维亚)的代表的深入访谈来审查：a)玻利维亚企业的生产系统、创新活动和网络战略；b)玻利维亚拉巴斯和圣克鲁斯地区领导人正在推动的经济政策和工业发展战略；c)与全球市场和价值链相关的对该行业的期望和需求。研究人员将确定特定的生产、创新和网络实践是否、如何以及为什么位于特定的城市/区域环境(即拉巴斯或圣克鲁斯)，并将评估玻利维亚公司的能力如何与领先公司和全球消费市场的需求相对应。该项目将提高对公司、公司间网络和行业如何在区域环境中运营的理解。从经验上讲，这项研究将记录玻利维亚制造业的特点和能力，并将提供对拉丁美洲国家工业变化的经济、社会和地理影响的见解。从概念上讲，这项研究将改进微观进程(例如，公司间联网做法)、中观环境(例如，拉巴斯和圣克鲁斯的社会经济特征)和宏观现象(例如，全球市场)之间的联系。通过这样做，这项研究将确定当代关于全球价值链的理论是否充分考虑到玻利维亚等地的市场、制度和空间现实，以及如何修改这些理论以更有效地描述这种情况以及与产业升级相关的社会空间过程。实际上，这项研究的发现将为寻求促进玻利维亚和全球南部其他国家工业发展和创新的新方法的政策制定者提供信息。