Globalization and Divergent Paths of Industrial Development

Mobile Phone Manufacturing in China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan

Bibliographic Data

ID3986008
AuthorsJoonkoo Lee (0000-0001-5772-397X, Hanyang University, corresponding author), Jong-Cheol Kim, Jong‐cheol Kim (0000-0002-8072-9226, Seoul National University), Jinho Lim, Jin‐ho Lim (Korea University)
Year2016
Volume46
Issue2
Pages222-246
Publication date2016-04-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Contemporary Asia (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0047-2336 • E-ISSN: 1752-7554
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00472336.2015.1102314
OpenAlexW2234839753
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited57

Globalisation has challenged the way industrial development takes place. Fragmented and decentralised global production and the rapid growth of consumer markets in emerging economies demand a more sophisticated framework to analyse development paths than does the dichotomy of export orientation and import substitution. This article proposes a typology based on (a) specialisation in the global value chain and (b) market orientation to distinguish different development trajectories and then applies the typology to mobile phone manufacturing in four East Asian countries. This study finds that globalisation does not lead to the convergence of development paths, but promotes cross-national divergence depending on countries' positions in the value chain and market niches. Both Korea and Taiwan emerge as key players in global markets, yet in different parts of the global value chain. Their common orientation toward global markets strikingly contrasts the inability of Japanese firms to translate their domestic success overseas. Finally, Chinese firms concurrently engage in different development paths, making the country's multi-path approach unique. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of industrial development in East Asia in an era of globalisation

Business · China · Economic geography · Economics · Economy · Geography · Globalization · Mobile phone · Political science · Telecommunications · Asian Industrial and Economic Development · Engineering · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy

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