Incorporating transnational labour: Migration rent, combined relocation, and offshore production networks in Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loïs Bastide
Keyword(s):  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Labour Migration ◽  
Production Factor ◽  
Foreign Workers ◽  
Investment Strategies ◽  
Production Networks ◽  
Global Production Networks ◽  
Main Hypothesis ◽  
The Government

Abstract The article explores the interactions between transnational labour migration, multinational corporations’ (MNCs) location strategies, and public policies in the context of contemporary Malaysia. My main hypothesis is that the country’s position in global production networks is dependent on the presence of a large pool of foreign workers. To demonstrate this relationship, I develop the concept of ‘migration rent’ in order to account for the specific characteristics of migrant labour in Malaysia. By showing that this rent allows the optimisation of labour, as a production factor, beyond the sole issue of labour costs, the concept allows an explanation for why foreign direct investment does not move to lower-wage countries. By allowing and organising the recruitment of foreign workers on a large scale, the government has shaped territories where both capital and labour can be relocated to achieve effective production factor combinations. To understand this process, I articulate the concept of ‘combined relocation’, which describes transnational investment strategies where both capital and labour are moved to a third country—here Malaysia—under the former’s command. In so doing, the paper thus adds to the literature on MNCs’ spatial strategies, on transnational labour migration, and on Malaysia’s political economy.

The Employment of Foreign Labor in Japan

1991 ◽  
Vol 513 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
HARUO SHIMADA
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
International Migration ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Social Conditions ◽  
Foreign Workers ◽  
Immigration Control ◽  
Foreign Labor ◽  
The Government

The problems of foreign labor in Japan have become increasingly serious economically, politically, and socially in recent years. In response to increasing labor shortages and high wages in Japan, ever larger numbers of foreign workers are entering Japan and illegally engaging in unskilled work under poor working conditions. The amended law of immigration control was put into effect on 1 June 1990, strictly prohibiting the entrance of foreigners for unauthorized work while opening doors more widely for highly skilled and knowledgeable workers. This article first briefly reviews the recent penetration of the Japanese labor market by foreign workers and then discusses potential merits of international migration of workers as well as likely demerits or dangers associated with the spontaneous influx of foreign workers into Japan under the current institutional and social conditions. The article finally proposes a large-scale work and learn program jointly administered by the government and private sector as a policy remedy to maximize the merits, and to minimize the demerits, of accepting foreign workers.

scholarly journals Ukraine’s foreign trade: responses to global challenges

2021 ◽  
Vol 107 ◽  
pp. 04001
Author(s):  
Svitlana Radzivivska ◽  
Ivan Us
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Trade ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Production Networks ◽  
Global Production Networks ◽  
Trade Relations ◽  
Business Elite ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Developed Countries

The overview of the country’s trade with all the continents during the period of 2000-2019 is given. The description of the commodity structure of exports/imports of goods, with particular attention to the industrial products, is followed by the detailed analysis of Ukraine’s foreign trade in 2020. The decrease in Ukraine’s foreign trade in 2020 by 6.4% is fully consistent with the projected WTO reduction of world trade in 2020 by 9.2%. Although COVID-19 had negative impact on Ukraine’s trade with the EU and the EAEU, it contributed to closer trade ties with Asia, improving Ukraine’s trade balance. The government and the national business elite should aim at solving the problems of increasing the volume and improving the commodity structure of Ukraine’s foreign trade with emphasis on the development of transport system for exporting agricultural and food products to the developed countries of the West and to the prospective economies of the East and the South. It is essential, on the one hand, to focus on the inflows of FDI and their appropriate use, and, on the other hand, on Ukraine’s participation in the formation of GVCs, global production networks. In the conditions of the Fourth industrial revolution, the economy finds itself transformed due to the fundamental changes. The optimization of foreign trade relations of Ukraine will not only improve the economy, but also enable the country to become a better functioning element of the global economic system.

scholarly journals Contested compliance regimes in global production networks: Insights from the Bangladesh garment industry

2018 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 272-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fahreen Alamgir ◽  
Subhabrata Bobby Banerjee
Keyword(s):  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Garment Industry ◽  
State Violence ◽  
The State ◽  
Production Networks ◽  
Global Production Networks ◽  
Global Brands ◽  
Structural Problems ◽  
Garment Factory

This article reports the findings of a field study on the emergence of collective agreements led by global brands enacting compliance measures to improve safety and working conditions in the Bangladesh garment industry. We explore how key actors in the Bangladesh garment sector who constitute the local production system of the global supply chain experienced the implementation of global agreements on factory safety. We argue that global safety compliance measures through multi-stakeholder initiatives provide legitimacy to multinational corporations and their global brands but do little to address the structural problems arising from exploitative pricing and procurement practices, which are the key reasons for deplorable working conditions in garment factories. Our findings indicate that neoliberal development policies of the state, where local economies are incorporated into global production networks, resulted in differential treatment and regulation of specific populations that comprise garment factory workers. The reconfiguration of state power to meet the demands of global supply chains also involved use of state violence to suppress dissent while undermining labour rights and working conditions. Our article contributes to the politicization of multinational corporations in global production chains by showing how contestations between workers, factory owners, the state, trade unions and multinational corporations create new private forms of governance and new regimes of compliance in the industry.

scholarly journals From Import Substitution to Integration into Global Production Networks: The Case of the Indian Automobile Industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-99
Author(s):  
Prema-chandra Athukorala ◽  
C. Veeramani
Keyword(s):  
Automobile Industry ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Import Substitution ◽  
Domestic Market ◽  
Production Networks ◽  
Global Production Networks ◽  
The Past ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Government

This paper examines the growth trajectory and the current state of the Indian automobile industry, paying attention to factors that underpinned its transition from import substitution to integration into global production networks. Market-conforming policies implemented by the government of India over the past 2 decades, which marked a clear departure from protectionist policies in the past, have been instrumental in transforming the Indian automobile industry in line with ongoing structural changes in the world automobile industry. India has emerged as a significant producer of compact cars within global automobile production networks. Compact cars exported from India have become competitive in the international market because of the economies of scale of producing for a large domestic market and product adaptation to suit domestic market conditions. Interestingly, there are no significant differences in prices of compact cars sold in domestic and foreign markets. This suggests that the hypothesis of “import protection as export promotion” does not hold for Indian automobile exports.

scholarly journals Investment Strategies for Increasing the Agribusiness Competitiveness

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 632-643
Author(s):  
Alexey V. Dudnik ◽  
Tatyana A. Cherdakova
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Food System ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Investment Strategies ◽  
Agricultural Commodity ◽  
Access To Credit ◽  
Russian Economy ◽  
The Government ◽  
Structural Aspects

Nowadays, investment in national agri-food systems is of significant interest, as it is a necessary condition for implementing large-scale technological innovations which are crucial not only for this particular system, but for Russian economy in general. The research aims to study how investments affect the competitiveness of the Russian agri-food system and to propose a conceptual framework for strategic agribusiness management at the regional and national levels. We hypothesise that competitiveness indicators, including cost intensity of production, depend on the investment in agribusiness. Due to low access to credit, agricultural companies look for alternative investment strategies, one of which is investment subsidies in commodity production. The hypothesis was tested by examining a sample of organisations engaged in agri-food production. The sample includes profitable companies investing in production development. Sample analysis confirme d th e initia l hypothesi s that investments into technological modernisation of production significantly influenc e it s competitiveness . Whe n developin g a strategy for increasing the competitiveness of agri-food systems in terms of investment provision, it is advisable to consider not only quantitative (amount of support), but also structural aspects of support. In particular, we suggest the government to introduce the practice of providing investment subsidies to agricultural commodity producers with participation in the recipients’ capital to support their development. The research results can be used in further studies concerning the management of the agribusiness competitiveness.

The role of governance in countering corruption: an African case study

Water Policy ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 9 (S2) ◽  
pp. 69-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Earle
Keyword(s):  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Public Official ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

The Trialogue model of governance includes relationships between three main actor clusters—government, science and society—within which the quality of the relationships between the three actor-clusters “determines the extent to which government can generate the incentives needed to develop society by allowing science to inform the decision-making process”. Corruption, in the form of the bribery of a public official, diminishes the quality of the relationship between the society cluster, usually in the form of private-sector business interests, and government. The drop in quality in this relationship has a negative impact on the quality of the government—science interface, due to increased project costs, in turn dropping the quality of the science—society interface, due to a drop in quality or increase in the price of services. Far from being purely a morally detestable action, corruption has a direct impact on the level of development of both a society and a country, undermining efforts to promote growth, equity and access to services. The asymmetries in power between some of the large corporations and developing countries has led to a situation where corruption is taken as the norm and it is assumed that there is very little that can be done about it. The case study of how Lesotho confronted corruption on the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, leading to the prosecution of the Chief Executive of the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority as well as three multinational corporations, provides an example of what can be done by a developing country to promote good governance through tackling corruption. This paper investigates the impact of corruption, specifically on large-scale water infrastructure development projects, and what measures can be taken to combat it.

scholarly journals Unfree Labour, Migration and Racism: Towards an Analytical Framework

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Carstensen
Keyword(s):  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Labour Migration ◽  
Production Networks ◽  
Global Production Networks ◽  
Labour Relations ◽  
Everyday Practices ◽  
And Migration ◽  
The Impact

When it comes to analysing exploitative and unfree labour, most research refers to “othering” or “race”. Race is often treated as a given category rather than a social phenomenon that needs explanation. In this article, I draw attention to the question of how racism is preserved, reproduced and changed within and through unfree labour relations. I do this by discussing the conceptual interlinkages between unfree labour, migration and racism. While the role of migration policies should not be underestimated, this should be accompanied by an analytical account of their racist background and outcomes. Based on this I present a framework for the analysis of racism as it relates to unfree labour and migration. I draw attention to three different levels of analysis (historico-structural, discursive-symbolic and everyday practices) and the interrelations between them. For empirical illustrations, I draw on my research on modern slave labour in two production sectors in Brazil: charcoal and clothing. I discuss the empirical findings with regard to three analytical problems in the analysis of unfree labour and racism: the impact of generalising knowledge on (future) migrant workers; the role and responsibility of global production networks; and the need to critically reflect on initiatives and policies aimed at the eradication of unfree labour.  KEYWORDS: labour migration; unfree labour; racism; Brazil; workers’ rights

scholarly journals A DINÂMICA DO SETOR SUCROENERGÉTICO NO TRIÂNGULO MINEIRO/ALTO PARANAÍBA

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (01) ◽  
pp. 248-277
Author(s):  
Daniel Féo Castro de Araújo ◽  
Fernando Luiz Araújo Sobrinho
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Scale Production ◽  
Production Networks ◽  
Global Production Networks ◽  
Large Scale Production ◽  
Palabras Clave ◽  
Corporate Character ◽  
Political Economic

No início do século XXI, o agronegócio sucroenergético teve forte expansão no território brasileiro, especialmente nas regiões que estão no domínio morfoclimático do Cerrado, em função da construção de novas Unidades Agroindustriais Sucroenergéticas (UAS) e dos processos de financeirização e centralização do capital. O objetivo deste artigo é analisar o processo de modernização da cultura canavieira na produção agrícola na mesorregião Triângulo Mineiro/Alto Paranaíba. Para a realização da pesquisa, fizeram-se imprescindíveis os seguintes passos metodológicos: a) levantamento bibliográfico, leituras de material acadêmico já publicado sobre o tema (teses e dissertações, livros, periódicos, dentre outros) através de levantamento bibliográfico temático (específico sobre o setor sucroenergético e a cultura canavieira); b) pesquisa em campo que consistiu em levantamento, exame e organização de dados secundários da produção e da situação econômico-financeira das empresas, assim como de bases de dados do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE).O Brasil se consolidou nas últimas décadas como uma das modernas fronteiras de expansão agrícola e agroexportador de produtos ligados ao agronegócio, especialmente no período pós - anos 2000, sob o paradigma da agricultura científica globalizada. Um conjunto de circunstâncias favoráveis, tanto técnica e político-econômica provocaram uma nova organização do setor, pautada na internacionalização do mercado e na difusão de inovações científico-tecnológicas, confirmando o caráter mais corporativo do território e a procura de novas áreas estratégicas. Concluímos que, a partir da organização dos dados e informações coletadas, o Triângulo Mineiro/Alto Paranaíba se tornou nas últimas décadas uma importante Região Produtiva do Agronegócio impactando as relações e o mercado de trabalho, os fluxos migratórios, os municípios aonde a atividade se implantou, a articulação da região as redes de produção global, bem como questões ambientais decorrentes da produção em larga escala. Palavras-chave: Modernização da agricultura. Agronegócio. Commodities. Globalização. Triângulo Mineiro/Alto Paranaíba.   THE DYNAMICS OF THE SUCROENERGETIC SECTOR IN THE TRIÂNGULO MINEIRO/ALTO PARANAÍBA ABSTRACT At the beginning of the 21st century, sugar-energy agribusiness had a strong expansion in the Brazilian territory, especially in the regions that are in the Cerrado's morphoclimatic domain, due to the construction of new Agroindustrial Sucroenergetic Units (UAS) and the processes of financialization and centralization of capital. The objective of this article is to analyze the process of modernization of the sugarcane culture in agricultural production in the Triângulo Mineiro / Alto Paranaíba mesoregion. To carry out the research, the following methodological steps were essential: a) bibliographic survey, readings of academic material already published on the topic (theses and dissertations, books, periodicals, among others) through a thematic bibliographic survey (specific about the sugar-energy sector and sugar cane culture); b) field research that consisted of surveying, examining and organizing secondary data on the production and economic and financial situation of companies, as well as databases from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). decades as one of the modern frontiers of agricultural expansion and agroexporter of products linked to agribusiness, especially in the post - 2000s period, under the paradigm of globalized scientific agriculture. A set of favorable circumstances, both technical and political-economic, provoked a new organization of the sector, based on the internationalization of the market and the diffusion of scientific and technological innovations, confirming the more corporate character of the territory and the search for new strategic areas. We conclude that, based on the organization of the data and information collected, the Triângulo Mineiro / Alto Paranaíba has become an important Agribusiness Productive Region in the last decades, impacting relations and the labor market, migratory flows, the municipalities where the activity was implemented , the articulation of the region with global production networks, as well as environmental issues arising from large-scale production.  Keywords: Modernization of agriculture. Agribusiness. Commodities. Globalization. Triângulo Mineiro/Alto Paranaíba.   LA DINÁMICA DEL SECTOR SUCROENERGETICO EM TRIÂNGULO MINEIRO/ALTO PARANAÍBA RESUMEN A principios del siglo XXI, los agronegocios de energía azucarera tuvieron una fuerte expansión en el territorio brasileño, especialmente en las regiones que se encuentran en el dominio morfoclimático del Cerrado, debido a la construcción de nuevas Unidades Agroindustriales de Energía de Azúcar (UAS) y los procesos de financiarización y centralización del capital. El objetivo de este artículo es analizar el proceso de modernización del cultivo de la caña de azúcar en la producción agrícola en la mesorregión Triângulo Mineiro / Alto Paranaíba. Para llevar a cabo la investigación, los siguientes pasos metodológicos fueron esenciales: a) encuesta bibliográfica, lecturas de material académico ya publicado sobre el tema (tesis y disertaciones, libros, publicaciones periódicas, entre otros) a través de una encuesta bibliográfica temática (específica sobre el sector de energía azucarera y cultivo de caña de azúcar); b) investigación de campo que consistió en encuestar, examinar y organizar datos secundarios sobre la producción y la situación económica y financiera de las empresas, así como bases de datos del Instituto Brasileño de Geografía y Estadística (IBGE). décadas como una de las fronteras modernas de la expansión agrícola y la agroexportadora de productos vinculados a la agroindustria, especialmente en el período posterior a la década de 2000, bajo el paradigma de la agricultura científica globalizada. Un conjunto de circunstancias favorables, tanto técnicas como político-económicas, provocaron una nueva organización del sector, basada en la internacionalización del mercado y la difusión de innovaciones científicas y tecnológicas, confirmando el carácter más corporativo del territorio y la búsqueda de nuevas áreas estratégicas. Concluimos que, en base a la organización de los datos y la información recopilada, el Triângulo Mineiro / Alto Paranaíba se ha convertido en una importante región productiva de agronegocios en las últimas décadas, impactando las relaciones y el mercado laboral, los flujos migratorios, los municipios donde se implementó la actividad. , la articulación de la región con las redes mundiales de producción, así como los problemas ambientales derivados de la producción a gran escala. Palabras-clave: Modernização da agricultura. Agronegócio. Commodities. Globalização. Triângulo Mineiro/Alto Paranaíba.

Impact of Multinational Corporations’ Firm-Based Environmental Standards on Subsidiaries and their Suppliers: Evidence from Motorola-Penang

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael T. Rock ◽  
David P. Angel
Keyword(s):  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Global Value Chains ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Environmental Standards ◽  
Production Networks ◽  
Global Production Networks

How successful are multinational corporations (MNCs) in extending their firm-based environmental standards to their wholly owned subsidiaries and local suppliers, particularly the small and medium sized firm suppliers in developing economies who operate as part of the global production networks of MNCs? Three developments suggest this is not an idle question. To begin with, the economic influence of MNCs is simply staggering. As Dowell et al. (1999: 4) state, the intra-firm transactions of the more than 40,000 MNCs with approximately 250,000 affiliates worldwide account for about 40% of world trade; foreign direct investment is roughly five times official development assistance, and the sales of the ten largest MNCs are larger than the GNP of the 100 poorest countries. This suggests that MNCs along with their affiliates and their suppliers have the potential for exerting substantial influences on local, national, regional, and global environments. Because most of the value added and employment in industry in most developing countries, including the developing economies of East Asia, is accounted for by small and medium sized firms that lie beyond the reach of most governments’ environmental regulatory agencies and because we suspect that the most viable path to technological upgrading and environmental improvement in the low income economies lies in finding ways to increase the participation of indigenous small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the global value chains of multinationals, it is important to ask whether an upgrading strategy based on linking indigenous SMEs to the global value chains of MNCs can also be used to affect the environmental performance of SMEs. While not all the SMEs in any one developing economy are ever likely to be reached through the supply chains of MNCs, there is substantial evidence that governments working in concert with MNCs in vendor development programs linking SMEs to MNCs in some places such as Taiwan Province of China, Malaysia, and Singapore have affected the technological upgrading activities of indigenous small and medium sized firms. To date, there is little rigorous evidence to suggest that these vendor development programs have affected the environmental behavior of small and medium sized firms in the East Asian newly industrializing economies.

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