IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/unc/tncjou/3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Change and continuity in special economic zones: a reassessment and lessons from China

Author

Listed:
  • Xiangming Chen

Abstract

Special economic zones (SEZs) have been used as an important national development instrument around the world for the past several decades. While EZs have continued to grow, they vary considerably across developing countries in form, function and effectiveness. This wide variation challenges development scholars and policymakers to probe factors that render some SEZs more successful than others and at certain stages of development than at others, and, second, allow some SEZs to sustain their success while triggering others to fail or become obsolete. China stands out not only in having created the largest number and variety of SEZs but also in building some SEZs in other developing countries. With this exceptional combination of inside and outside experience with SEZs, China presents a timely opportunity for reassessing the new global landscape of SEZs. This paper traces the evolution of SEZ development in China and draws out policy lessons.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiangming Chen, . "Change and continuity in special economic zones: a reassessment and lessons from China," UNCTAD Transnational Corporations Journal, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
    • Handle: RePEc:unc:tncjou:3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/diaeia2019d2a3_en.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Thierry Pairault, 2019. "China in Africa: Phoenix nests versus Special Economic Zones," Working Papers hal-01968812, HAL.
    2. Gereffi,Gary, 2019. "Global Value Chains and Development," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781108458863.
    3. Gereffi,Gary, 2019. "Global Value Chains and Development," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781108471947.
    4. Alan Wiig & Jonathan Silver, 2019. "Turbulent presents, precarious futures: urbanization and the deployment of global infrastructure," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(6), pages 912-923, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Liu, Zhigao & Schindler, Seth & Liu, Weidong, 2020. "Demystifying Chinese overseas investment in infrastructure: Port development, the Belt and Road Initiative and regional development," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    2. Rajneesh Narula & James X. Zhan, . "Using special economic zones to facilitate development: policy implications," UNCTAD Transnational Corporations Journal, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
    3. Tom Goodfellow & Zhengli Huang, 2022. "Manufacturing urbanism: Improvising the urban–industrial nexus through Chinese economic zones in Africa," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 59(7), pages 1459-1480, May.
    4. Shi, Buchao & Huang, Liangxiong & Wei, Shengmin & Geng, Xinyue, 2022. "Overseas industrial parks and China's outward foreign direct investment," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    5. François Bost, . "Special economic zones: methodological issues and definition," UNCTAD Transnational Corporations Journal, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Boundi-Chraki, Fahd & Perrotini-Hernández, Ignacio, 2021. "Absolute cost advantage and sectoral competitiveness: Empirical evidence from NAFTA and the European Union," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 162-173.
    2. Elena Poliakova & Liesl Riddle & Michael E. Cummings, 2020. "Diaspora investment promotion via public–private partnerships: Case-study insights and IB research implications from the Succeed in Ireland initiative," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 3(1), pages 23-37, March.
    3. Sarianna Lundan & Gunnar Leymann, . "Investing in sustainable infrastructure: new directions for international business research," UNCTAD Transnational Corporations Journal, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
    4. Reis, Germano Glufke & Villar, Eduardo Guedes & Prado Gimenez, Fernando Antonio & Maiolino Molento, Carla Forte & Ferri, Priscila, 2022. "The interplay of entrepreneurial ecosystems and global value chains: Insights from the cultivated meat entrepreneurial ecosystem of Singapore," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    5. Gary Gereffi, 2020. "What does the COVID-19 pandemic teach us about global value chains? The case of medical supplies," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 3(3), pages 287-301, September.
    6. Mike W. Peng & Nishant Kathuria, 2021. "COVID‐19 and the Scope of the Firm," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(5), pages 1431-1435, July.
    7. Liena Kano & Eric W. K. Tsang & Henry Wai-chung Yeung, 2020. "Global value chains: A review of the multi-disciplinary literature," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(4), pages 577-622, June.
    8. Arianna Rossi, 2019. "Applying the GVC framework to policy: The ILO experience," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 2(3), pages 211-216, September.
    9. Patrizia Casadei & Simona Iammarino, 2021. "Trade policy shocks in the UK textile and apparel value chain: Firm perceptions of Brexit uncertainty," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 4(2), pages 262-285, June.
    10. González-Ramírez, María Guadalupe & Santoyo-Cortés, Vinicio Horacio & Arana-Coronado, José Jaime & Muñoz-Rodríguez, Manrrubio & Albis-Salas, Nadia, 2023. "Global traders and the integration of Chile and Mexico into the configuration of the global value chain of berries," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 26(2), February.
    11. Manning, Stephan, 2022. "From mainstream to niche: How value regimes shift in emerging economy upgrading," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(6).
    12. López, Tatiana & Riedler, Tim & Köhnen, Heiner & Fütterer, Michael, 2022. "Digital value chain restructuring and labour process transformations in the fast-fashion sector: Evidence from the value chains of Zara & H&M," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 22(4), pages 684-700.
    13. Sébastien Miroudot & Håkan Nordström, 2020. "Made in the World? Global Value Chains in the Midst of Rising Protectionism," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 57(2), pages 195-222, September.
    14. Marslev, Kristoffer & Staritz, Cornelia & Raj‐Reichert, Gale, 2022. "Rethinking Social Upgrading in Global Value Chains: Worker Power, State‒Labour Relations and Intersectionality," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 53(4), pages 827-859.
    15. Peter J. Buckley & Roger Strange & Marcel P. Timmer & Gaaitzen J. de Vries, 2020. "Catching-up in the global factory: Analysis and policy implications," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 3(2), pages 79-106, June.
    16. Nacewska-Twardowska Aleksandra, 2022. "Poland and global value chains at the beginning of the 21st century – An opportunity or a threat?," International Journal of Management and Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of World Economy, vol. 58(1), pages 33-43, March.
    17. F. Colozza & R. Boschma & A. Morrison & C. Pietrobelli, 2021. "The importance of global value chains and regional capabilities for the economic complexity of EU-regions," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2139, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Dec 2021.
    18. Jennifer Bair & Mathew Mahutga & Marion Werner & Liam Campling, 2021. "Capitalist crisis in the “age of global value chainsâ€," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 53(6), pages 1253-1272, September.
    19. Choksy, Umair Shafi & Ayaz, Muhammad & Al-Tabbaa, Omar & Parast, Mahour, 2022. "Supplier resilience under the COVID-19 crisis in apparel global value chain (GVC): The role of GVC governance and supplier’s upgrading," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 249-267.
    20. Jensen, Federico & Whitfield, Lindsay, 2022. "Leveraging participation in apparel global supply chains through green industrialization strategies: Implications for low-income countries," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:unc:tncjou:3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Kumi Endo (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/unctach.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.