Applying Evolutionary Economic Geography beyond case studies in the Global North

Regional diversification in Vietnam

Bibliographic Data

ID20153971
AuthorsMartin Breul (0000-0002-0322-0987, Institute of Geography University of Cologne Cologne Germany, corresponding author), Fabio Pruß (Center for Development Research (ZEF) University of Bonn Bonn Germany)
Year2022
Volume43
Issue1
Pages26-42
Publication date2022-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSingapore Journal of Tropical Geography (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0129-7619 • E-ISSN: 1467-9493
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/sjtg.12412
OpenAlexW4200206514
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited49

Hitherto, the path‐dependent understanding of regional diversification in Evolutionary Economic Geography (EEG) has drawn largely on insights into industrialized countries. However, in the past few decades several regions in the Global South have undergone rapid structural transformations despite starting out with unfavourable regional asset bases. This raises the question as to whether the strong emphasis on endogenous capabilities in EEG also provides a sound theoretical framework for explaining these tremendous diversification dynamics. This paper therefore aims to re‐evaluate the wider validity of the path‐dependent conceptualization of regional diversification in the context of a lower‐middle income economy. To this end, we analyse the diversification of Vietnamese regions between 2006 and 2015. In order to take into account context‐specific conditions that characterize Vietnam's economy, we add the role of foreign‐owned firms and state‐owned enterprises to the conceptualization of regional diversification processes. While the role of relatedness holds true for Vietnam, the presence of foreign‐owned firms allowed Vietnamese regions to break away from path dependency and diversify to unrelated industries. The findings highlight that only by adapting the analysis to context‐specific conditions are we able to understand how regional diversification takes place across different settings

Business · Conceptualization · Context (archaeology) · Diversification (marketing strategy) · Economic geography · Economics · Financial economics · Geography · Vietnamese · Volatility (finance) · Economic and Technological Innovation · Regional Economics and Spatial Analysis · Regional resilience and development

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