The global value chain of second-hand cars and scraps
An ethnographic account of on-the-ground practices, labour and regulations in Ghana
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2297962 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Carol Cohen (0000-0001-6954-9040, University of Oxford, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 67-86 |
| Publication date | 2023-04-28 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Tempo Social (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0103-2070 • E-ISSN: 1809-4554 |
| Publisher | Universidade de São Paulo. Agência de Bibliotecas e Coleções Digitais (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.11606/0103-2070.ts.2023.204354 |
| OpenAlex | W4382771915 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
The article draws on ethnographic observations of second-hand car and spare-parts traders in Ghana to analyse how these goods are traded over continents and how the value of a car is shaped by grounded practices and categories that I describe. The position of Ghana in this global valuechain relies on regulations forged by the alliance between politicians, traders and mechanics of the informal sector, now challenged by manufacturers who promise to contribute to the country's industrialisation; and the availability of skilled and cheap labour. This renders viable operations impossible elsewhere. I hypothesise that as these wastes are revalued in West Africa, they sustain the production cycle and automotive industry in rich countries
Automotive industry · Business · Economics · Economy · Ethnography · Factory (object-oriented programming) · Industrialisation · Informal sector · Market economy · Operations management · Position (finance) · Production (economics) · Sociology · Spare part · Spare time · Supply chain · Value (mathematics) · Engineering · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact · Marketing
| Citations per year | 1.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |