Der Mangel an ökonomischem und sozialem Upgrading in der Elektronik- und Bekleidungsindustrie in Vietnam. Risiken systematischer Barrieren

With reference to the literature of global value chains (GVCs) and industrial policy, this article discusses the (lack of) economic and social upgrading in the clothing and electronic industries of Vietnam. The focus of the analysis is placed, on the one hand, on the export-oriented policies of the country, which concentrate on the manufacturing industries and foreign direct investment. Focus is also on the industrial relations institutions (including the trade unions) which have remained largely unchanged since the time of the centrally planned economy. Research found that the clothing and electronic industries are locked into the lowest value sections of their GVCs due to the supply chain strategies and purchasing practices of the lead firms. The Vietnamese government’s discriminative policy against the domestic private sector has stifled its ability to upgrade and exacerbated the adverse impacts of buyer-driven GVCs. In turn, to sustain the comparative advantage of low labour costs, the government has to continue to restrict workers’ basic labour rights and continue being lenient on employers’ violations of labour standards. This has become a vicious circle, deeply integrated in the industrialisation strategy of Vietnam.