Inertia and change in multinational enterprise subsidiary capabilities: an evolutionary economic geography framework

In this article we argue for a process-centred use of the dynamic capabilities-based view of evolution in multinational enterprise (MNE) subsidiary capabilities. In particular, we consider changes in the scale, scope and specialisation of resources and capabilities at subsidiaries over time by drawing on Dodgshon’s (1998) study of change in empires and societal systems. Following Dodgshon, we classify changes at MNE subsidiaries into processes of (i) expansion or contraction, (ii) reduction, (iii) involution, (iv) aggregation upwards and outwards, (v) accretion and (vi) replacement/substitution, illustrating this framework with reference to the extant literature. We suggest that the potential of this framework lies, in part, in its embrace of both change and inertia within MNEs and at their subsidiaries. It is important to consider both change and inertia if we are to understand the implications of MNE subsidiary evolution national and subnational economic development policy

Encore for the enclave: the changing nature of the industry enclave with illustrations from the mining industry in Chile

Conceptual innovation with respect to the enclave concept has been virtually absent compared with that on industry agglomerations. This is despite the fact that some varieties of agglomeration distinguished in the literature appear to come close to what previously were regarded as industrial enclaves and despite frequent allusions to the enclave nature of economic spaces produced by contemporary processes of globalization. Bringing the literature on agglomeration and enclaves into dialogue, we revisit the concept of the enclave - a concept that has been largely neglected since it enjoyed a popularity in connection with the study of particular (notably extractive) industries and particular (notably dependencia) theories of national economic development during the 1960s and 1970s. Much has changed since this time which suggests that the concept of the enclave ought to be ripe for re-evaluation. In this paper we take an initial step in this direction identifying analytical dimensions to the enclave and illustrating different manifestations of enclaves in the mining industry, drawing on the case of Chile. We conclude by advocating the renewed study of industry enclaves within contemporary economic geographical analysis

Taking the absurd seriously

A focus on the absurd reveals points of tangency between political economy and humanistic geographical approaches. I argue that capitalism’s contradictions have broadened and deepened absurd phenomenal experiences, the reflexive internalization of which – in processes of reification or self-alienation – has recursive effects on the constitution of societies. The paradoxes mobilized as part of dialectical reason provide a means of taking the absurd seriously in our emotional and intellectual responses to it. These arguments are illustrated with respect to the consumption of stuff. In conclusion, I note how the absurd poses unsettling questions for human geographical theory and praxis

Knowledge polycentricity and the evolving Yangtze River Delta megalopolis

Knowledge polycentricity and the evolving Yangtze River Delta megalopolis. Regional Studies. Inspired by the two defining but often overlooked features of megalopolises as ‘hinges’ and ‘incubators’, this paper presents a multi-scalar and dynamic analysis of the knowledge polycentricity of China’s Yangtze River Delta Region. Using data on publications and co-publications from 2000 to 2014, the results show that the structures of knowledge production and knowledge collaboration within and beyond the region have, to differing degrees, become more polycentric. Whereas the region has acted as an ‘incubator’ of knowledge at the megalopolitan scale, its ‘hinge’ role in knowledge collaboration has been mainly played at the national scale

Urban development and the politics of dissonance

A major reason for the peripheral treatment of political conflict in established theories of urban development derives from the tendency to underplay questions of territory and spatial governance. In this paper we examine the implications of territorial discrepancy amongst governance arrangements and introduce the notion of ‘urban political dissonance’ in order to engage sustained patterns of conflict or incongruity. This focus implies examination of strategic action on the part of competing urban interests which may result in policy incoherence, institutional manoeuvring in pursuit of divergent objectives, and difficulties in finding workable compromise, with potentially significant implications for economic development outcomes. An illustrative case study is presented of growth politics in Oxford, U.K., where a central and unresolved dilemma over the physical expansion of the city has effectively defined the nature of development politics for a generation, leading to ongoing political conflict and policy incongruity

Joint action in action? Local economic development forums and industry cluster development in Central Java, Indonesia

It has been argued that the growth potential of industry clusters in developing countries is dependent on join action to release external economy effects that otherwise remain latent. In this paper we report on the progress and impacts of a programme in Central Java to develop capacity for joint action in industry clusters via economic forums in local government jurisdictions. We focus in on the emerging relationship between industry clusters and their respective economic forums in four local government jurisdictions. Despite progress, the findings reveal the difficulties of developing new institutions to support joint action. These difficulties follow from the limits presented by the private sector dynamics underlying industry clusters and from variations in local government organisation, resourcing and understandings of the remit of these new institutions

An invitation to the dark side of economic geography

This exchange urges economic geographers working within several major extant schools of thought to pay greater attention to uneven economic development in general and the dark side of the economic geographies in particular

The suburban question: grassroots politics and place making in Spanish suburbs

Manuel Castells spoke of the urban as a unit of collective consumption, yet much of the politics of collective consumption he documented was evident in the suburbs. The tendency for suburbs of most complexions to lack services and amenities has been and continues to be a focus of politics in Europe. In Spain, as elsewhere in Europe, a grassroots politics surrounding the making good of these deficits in basic services and amenities has broadened and formalised somewhat to become part of a competitive local representative politics concerned with shaping a sense of place. Here we consider this legacy of grassroots politics as it has played out more recently in a politics of place making in Getafe and Badalona in metropolitan Madrid and Barcelona, respectively. In conclusion, we suggest that this enduring suburban question—of making the suburban urban—places them at the centre of contemporary metropolitan governance and politics. However, it also raises further issues for study—notably, the scalar politics in which suburban place making is empowered or constrained, the role of political parties and individual politicians on the place-making process, and the point at which grassroots politics of collective consumption becomes urban entrepreneurialism

Di-μ-chlorido-bis­[chlorido(N,N-di­methyl­ethylenediamine-κ2 N,N′)zinc(II)]

The centrosymmetric dinuclear title compound, [Zn2Cl4(C4H12N2)2], is isostructural with its previously reported CuII analogue [Phelps, Goodman & Hodgson (1976 ▶). Inorg. Chem. 15, 2266–2270]. In the title compound, each of the ZnII ions is coordinated by two N atoms from a chelating N,N-dimethyl­ethylenediamine ligand, two bridging Cl atoms and one terminal Cl atom. The coordination environment is distorted square-pyramidal. The Zn—Cl bond distances of the two bridging Cl atoms are distinctly different: the equatorial Cl atom exbibits a Zn—Cl distance of 2.318 (1) Å and the axial Cl atom exbibits a Zn—Cl distance of 2.747 (2) Å, which is significantly longer. The mol­ecule can thus be seen as a dimer of two nearly square-planar monomeric units which are related to each other by an inversion center located in the middle of the dimer. Within one monomeric unit, the Zn atom, the two N atoms and the two Cl atoms are almost coplanar, with a mean deviation of only 0.05 (1) Å from the associated least-squares plane. The Zn⋯Zn distance within the dimer is 3.472 (3) Å. N—H⋯Cl and C—H⋯Cl hydrogen-bond inter­actions connect neighboring mol­ecules with each other

Living biointerfaces based on non-pathogenic bacteria to direct cell differentiation

Genetically modified Lactococcus lactis, non-pathogenic bacteria expressing the FNIII7-10 fibronectin fragment as a protein membrane have been used to create a living biointerface between synthetic materials and mammalian cells. This FNIII7-10 fragment comprises the RGD and PHSRN sequences of fibronectin to bind α5β1 integrins and triggers signalling for cell adhesion, spreading and differentiation. We used L. lactis strain to colonize material surfaces and produce stable biofilms presenting the FNIII7-10 fragment readily available to cells. Biofilm density is easily tunable and remains stable for several days. Murine C2C12 myoblasts seeded over mature biofilms undergo bipolar alignment and form differentiated myotubes, a process triggered by the FNIII7-10 fragment. This biointerface based on living bacteria can be further modified to express any desired biochemical signal, establishing a new paradigm in biomaterial surface functionalisation for biomedical applications