Competitive Adjustment and Advancement in Global Commodity Chains II: The Case of the Singapore Garment Industry

This is the second part of a contribution to the debate on the possibilities of leveraging economic globalisation — through incorporation in international production networks and global commodity chains (GCCs) — as a strategy for developing countries to industrialise and advance their position in the world economy. In the first part, we analysed the experience of the East Asian apparel industry and addressed the issues of sustaining positions, upgrading to more rewarding roles, and advancing to less dependent positions within production networks and GCCs. We developed an analytical framework at both the firm and industry levels, and subsequently identified alternative firm- and industry-level strategies and trajectories. The present paper deals with these issues in the context of the Singapore apparel industry. Based on extensive empirical research, we demonstrate that although the East Asian experience of upgrading and repositioning within the GCC is to some extent emulated in the case of the Singapore apparel industry, the outcomes have been less favourable in terms of the depth, extent and strength of these trajectories. The differing outcomes can be explained in terms of different (systemic) conditions in the Singapore business environment, including the agency of local players, the geography of sourcing networks, and the role of the state and prevailing business attitudes. Our conclusions merit continued attention in both research and policy circles on the development of capabilities at the firm level, and the role of local business and institutional environments in local industry development processes under globalisation.     

Spatialising the Melanesian Canarium industry: Understanding economic upgrading in an emerging industry among three Pacific small island states

This paper examines economic upgrading in the Canarium indicum (Canarium) nut industry in Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Canarium is a tree that is indigenous to Melanesia, and has been the subject of several commercialisation attempts since 1988. The paper assesses the outcomes to various actors in the Canarium supply chain from attempts to upgrade industry products and processes by: (1) increasing the available resource in suitable locations; (2) improving nut products and processing techniques; (3) increasing actors’ knowledge and supply chain coordination; and (4) establishing product standards. A two-phase data generation process was implemented. Document analysis and participant observations of industry workshops initiated a set of four economic upgrading interventions that were adaptively implemented. A second stage of workshops and 76 interviews enabled outcomes to be assessed at the project’s end. Findings suggest that a small number of urban-based entrepreneurs benefit and subsequently are lead actors in industry development, but at the expense of benefits being distributed to a larger, more spatially disparate group of smallholder and small commercial growers. These economic upgrading outcomes are circumscribed by core-periphery relations in Pacific small island states and the scale of industry in each country. Thus, spatial inequalities are reproduced through the emerging Canarium industries. We argue that different routes to industry development are required in each country. Development initiatives that capitalise on the benefits of micro-enterprise clusters, joint action and regional institutional arrangements are proposed to overcome the impediments imposed by the particular geographies of Pacific island states.     

城市“腾笼换鸟”产业转型升级的困境与出路——基于北京市的调查研究

剖析北京“腾笼换鸟”产业转型升级的现状,在针对“新鸟”进笼“老鸟”去哪问题,“老笼”空间结构合理优化问题,“老鸟”涅槃“新鸟”培育问题,“老鸟”和“新笼”承接问题的分析基础上,提出应完善京津冀产业链协作,“腾笼换鸟”拓展区域联动发展空间;东西城合并成首都特区,“腾笼换鸟”保护北京历史文化名城;切实发挥政府的职能作用,“腾笼换鸟”提升企业内在动力机制;规划建设“微中心”小城镇,“腾笼换鸟”促进北京人口有效疏解的建议。     

国际贸易对地区劳动力技能升级的影响——基于中国大陆地区地级市的数据分析

随着中国人口红利逐渐消失,劳动力技能升级的问题日益突出。已有研究表明,发展中国家融入全球生产网络体系并非必定能够促进劳动力技能的升级。论文以中国大陆地区主要地级市为例,利用2005、2010、2015年的面板数据,试图分析国际贸易对各地区劳动力技能结构变动及技能升级方面的影响。结果表明：出口贸易对地区高技能劳动力就业比重具有抑制作用,表现为出口贸易对劳动力技能降级的影响;而进口贸易所产生的技术扩散效应尚未显现,进出口贸易整体影响并不显著。进一步来看,从区域产业地理格局角度,对外贸易影响了不同技能水平劳动力人群的区域间流动,使得对外贸易对劳动力技能升级的影响效果在不同的区位与城市规模特征间存在显著差异。沿海城市和大城市主要表现为进口贸易显著促进高技能劳动力就业比重进而带来地区劳动力技能升级,相对于内陆地区和小城市而言,出口贸易会带来高技能劳动力就业比重下降,地区劳动力技能呈现降级趋势。     

区域产业升级理论评价和升级目标层次论建构

产业升级相关文献综述表明,区域产业升级具有丰富的理论含义.产业结构升级研究寻求对产业宏观结构比例的统计学意义上的优化;产业地域分工思路则考察产业分布演进的空间格局及其升级含义;企业升级思路则细化到产业内部,指出企业创新以获得更高附加值是产业升级的根本;集群研究则注意到区域产业发展的整体特征,并指出了推动产业集聚、产业联系与创新等升级含义.中国集群实践更进一步验证了集群层面集体效率的提升以及企业发展环境的和谐共进(区域发展目标)也是影响产业升级的重要方面.在讨论产业升级的经济维度与空间维度、个体层面与系统层面的基础上重新构建区域产业发展的理论框架,认为企业升级、集群升级和区域和谐3个层次构成了区域产业升级的3个目标层次,其相互衔接与互动对于区域产业发展具有重要意义.     

升级改造后的BPL时频监控系统

为更好地完成授时任务,对BPL长波授时系统(由中国科学院国家授时中心承建)进行了升级改造。介绍了升级改造后的BPL长波授时系统组成、时频控制与监测方法。改造前、后系统时频控制指标的统计结果表明,改造后时号控制精度大幅提高。     

长三角制造业转型升级的粘性机理及其实现路径——基于“微笑曲线”成因的视角

利用"微笑曲线"指导制造业的转型升级已经成了众多研究者的选择,且得出的结论基本都是制造业要转型升级就要向两端攀升,而对"微笑曲线"成因的研究则较为鲜见。用创新论、劳动论、市场论阐释了"微笑曲线"的成因,并以此作为突破影响长三角制造业转型升级粘性的基础理论,指出长三角制造业转型升级的路径为:遵循竞争优势理论,针对应该重点发展的制造业,根据劳动的复杂程度以及产品是否有标准接口对制造业进行分类,继续做好做优精细复杂的行业、转移出去粗放简单的行业,同时,还应该积极促进产业融合,发展新兴产业,在积累的基础上实现转型升级。     

中国区域滨海湿地固碳能力研究现状与提升

对我国滨海湿地的固碳能力进行了评估,同时,对其固碳能力的遥感监测和评估方法进行了总结和分析,最后提出了滨海湿地固碳能力的提升技术。全球看来,我国滨海湿地的固碳能力总体上不高。国内看来,在北方泥炭地和植被覆盖率高,生长茂盛的区域,尤其是有红树林生长的区域固碳能力相对较高。滨海湿地主要分布在潮间带,人为监测困难,卫星遥感的出现为滨海湿地的监测带来很大方便,遥感监测已成为评估湿地固碳能力的一种高时效方法。滨海湿地固碳蕴藏着巨大潜力,提升滨海湿地的固碳能力可以大大降低全球CO2含量,对于改善全球温室效应有不可替代的作用。     

甘肃省地矿局“十三五”水文与环境地质成果及“十四五”发展设想综述

水文与环境地质专业服务对象涉及自然资源、生态环境、文化旅游、林业草原、水利水务、农业农村、应急管理、交通住建等政府职能管理部门,服务范围涵盖资源能源调查监测、水土污染评价防治、国土空间生态修复、旅游规划、生态环境保护与治理、防灾减灾、重大工程建设等社会经济领域,水工环队伍是资源、环境、生态、空间等国土要素调查评价、利用及保护和监测预警的重要专业技术力量。本文在总结甘肃省地矿局“十三五”期间的水文与环境地质工作在提供资源能源保障、地质技术服务方面的主要成就和支撑生态环境保护与修复方面成果的基础上,依托行业技术优势和发展基础,结合国家及省经济社会发展和生态文明建设等战略部署,面向政府需要和社会需求,分析提出了甘肃省地矿局“十四五”期间水文与环境地质业务转型升级与高质量发展的宏观设想和思路。对地勘单位适应新发展阶段的水文与环境地质工作新要求,规划部署和构建相应的新发展格局有一定的参考意义。     

基于铁路客运网络的省际可达性及经济联系格局

基于铁路客运交通网络把各省会城市抽象为铁路网络中的节点,以2003和2008年省会城市间铁路客运网络的最短旅行时间为度量指标,对我国铁路客运网络的空间可达性及空间格局进行分析,测算各省区间的省际经济联系强度,进而探讨省际间经济联系的空间指向。研究表明:(1)经过第五、六次铁路客运提速,省际可达性获得了显著提升,尤其西部地区提升幅度更大,省际可达性表现出自东部沿海向西北内陆逐渐降低的圈层式空间格局,高于全国平均水平的地区范围在扩展,干线指向性越来越强;(2)各省区对外经济联系总量地域差异突出,东部地带省区的经济联系总量远高于中西部地带省区;(3)地区间经济联系依托京沪、京广以及京哈等主要铁路干线形成了省际联系的主导轴线,并且随着地区经济的发展和铁路网络的大幅度提速,地区经济联系的空间网络格局逐步形成。