战略耦合的研究脉络与问题

在回顾经济地理学中较为前沿的战略耦合概念的起源、发展与研究现状的基础上,对战略耦合研究的优点与问题展开评述,认为当前研究在战略耦合模式的探讨中,主要基于经验总结而缺乏对影响变量,特别是空间变量的阐述,存在一定的模糊性。为理解该问题的根源,追溯了全球生产网络和全球价值链两个学派的争论和最新进展。在认可全球价值链理论解释力的同时,认为当前全球生产网络2.0版本的研究框架仍然没有解决模糊性的问题,而且全球生产网络的分析框架主要侧重于主导企业视角来构建战略耦合的发生机制,忽略了后发地区和企业的主动性。因此,借鉴传统经济地理学研究,充分考虑主导企业和后发地区的行为逻辑,提出经济活动的空间粘性和区域的区位优势这两个变量,重构了战略耦合的分析框架,并进行理论阐述。该项理论构建有助于更好地厘清战略耦合的发生机制,帮助发展中国家和地区判读发展机遇,确立产业发展与升级战略。

Theoretical thread and problems of strategic coupling

This paper critically reviews the theoretical thread, contribution and problems of the studies of strategic coupling. By examining the conceptualization, explanatory variables and the analytical framework of this concept, it finds that the spatiality of strategic coupling is ambiguous. The three-fold typology and mechanism is based on empirical observation, while lacking of theoretical reasoning based on spatial variables. By learning from the studies of global production network and global value chain, this paper argues that the strategic coupling studies shall be advanced by absorbing spatial variables from traditional studies in economic geography, rather than from other disciplines. As an attempt, this paper proposes two spatial variables, locational advantage (LA) and spatial stickiness (SS), for explaining the formation, variety and impacts of strategic coupling in the globalization of latecomer regions. Leveraging the low-high weight of the proposed new variables, there are three potential types of strategic coupling. When LA and SS are both low, captive coupling tends to happen in which later-comer firms and regions play as a follower of global leading firms. When LA and SS are both high, absorptive coupling become possible in which late-comer actors have high bargaining power to negotiate for ideal partnership with global leading firms. When LA is high while SS is low, cooperative coupling may happen in which both counterparts exchange resources under a relatively balanced power relationship. In contrast, when LA is low while SS is high, strategic coupling will not happen. This paper contributes to the literature of global production network by fixing the problem of spatial ambiguity of strategic coupling. The proposed new variables are derived from traditional studies in economic geography so that the strategic coupling can draw upon many classical theories and studies. This effort reminds the disciplinary position of strategic coupling for being an economic geographical study. This renewed framework has salient implication for latecomer economies. On the one hand, by analyzing the spatial stickiness of an industry, we can evaluate the potential of industrial relocation or upgrading within a region and then strategize relevant policies to slow or facilitate the process. On the other hand, for fostering regional assets, a region shall focus on immobile resources such as domestic market environment, regionalized production networks and local talents, rather than using replicable policies such as fiscal incentives.