全球生产网络(GPN)的理论问题和中国实践启示

全球生产网络理论（GPN）是关系经济地理学派的核心理论成果,但当前国内外研究对其发展脉络和理论内涵的认识存在模糊之处,在应用方面也存在一些误区。因此,本文从GPN与全球价值链（GVC）理论互动的视角出发,回顾GVC和GPN的重要发展阶段及对彼此的影响,针对常见的对GPN理解和应用的误区展开解释与辨析,主要得到3个结论。第一,GPN理论的研究目的已从解释“价值生产”凝练为解释“区域发展的不均衡”,更贴近经济地理学的基本研究范式。第二,GPN与GVC正在从分歧走向融合,共同致力于捕捉与解释全球化动态。第三,并非所有跨国公司研究或生产网络研究都属于GPN研究,GPN专指研究跨国公司与主要相关者基于生产所形成的网络动态,不适用于以国家为单位的研究,也不着力于揭示企业内部经营管理动态。本文继而指出中国经验既需要GPN理论加以探析、也有助于丰富GPN理论,精准理解GPN尤其对中国当前推行双循环战略有重要应用价值。本文强调,GPN作为中观理论框架,有效解释了全球经济中区域发展的多尺度动态,在全球化出现逆流的新形势下,对中国全球化实践,特别是国际国内双循环发展有着鲜明的研究意义。

Theoretical problems of Global Production Network research and the implications to China

Global Production Network (GPN), as the core theory in the school of relational economic geography, has been widely discussed and examined in mainstream economic geography and by researchers in China in recent two decades. However, the understanding towards its theoretical context, development and connotation is ambiguous to a certain extent. Some application misinterprets this theory mainly because of the lack of attention to the crucial influence of Global Value Chain (GVC) on the development of GPN. Therefore, this paper starts from critically reviewing how the GPN literature develops with continuous interactions with GVC, then explores how these two strands of research evolve from divergence to integration by reviewing the latest research on GPN, and clarifies some common misunderstandings in GPN research. This paper comes to three general conclusions regarding the recent development of GPN research. First, the theoretical goal of GPN research has moved from explaining value creation to uneven development, which makes it closer to the tradition of geographical studies. Second, the divergence between GPN and GVC has become narrower than before in terms of capturing global economic dynamics. Third, GPN research refers to a study that unpacks network dynamics to explain uneven regional development particularly. GPN is not an appropriate theory for studies that use a country as an analytical unit or reveal internal business issues of a firm. This paper also argues that exploring China stories requires proper GPN theoretical application, and offers an opportunity for GPN’s further theoretical development especially towards the dual-circulation strategy proposed recently by the Chinese government.