Suchergebnisse

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) are often held responsible for the 'relocation of production' and 'exporting jobs' to, often low-wage, countries at the expense of domestic jobs. Additionally, host country governments – in particular in developing countries - often perceive international production by MNEs as the panacea for generating employment and economic growth. What is the spatial organization of production and employment of MNEs? What are the employment effects of changes in the geography of international strategy? Have MNEs increasingly integrated production across borders with a regional division of labor and, what are the employment effects?This thesis demonstrates that the geography of a MNE's internationalization strategy as well as the stage of its internationalization process influences employment in both home and host countries. Competition among workers within macro regions in industrialized countries (e.g. the EU) and among low wage countries or regions is often greater than between high and low wage countries. The employment effects of internationalizing firms are often intertwined with processes of regional integration as well as with the herding and strategic behavior of MNEs. ; Multinationale ondernemingen (MNOs) worden vaak verantwoordelijk gehouden voor de relocatie van productie en export van banen. Daarnaast worden de activiteiten van MNOs – met name in ontwikkelingslanden - gezien als de bron van werkgelegenheid en de motor achter economische groei. Wat is de geografie van internationale productie en werkgelegenheid van MNOs? Wat zijn de werkgelegenheidseffecten van de verandering in de locatie van internationale productie en internationale strategie van MNOs? Hebben MNOs in toenemende mate hun transnationale productie geïntegreerd, is er een regionale arbeidsverdeling en wat zijn hiervan de werkgelegenheidseffecten? Deze studie laat zien dat de geografie van internationalisering alsmede de fase van internationalsering waarin de MNO zich bevindt belangrijke verklarende factoren zijn achter werkgelegenheideffecten in het thuis als het gastland. Concurrentie tussen werknemers binnen macro regio's in zowel ontwikkelde als ontwikkelingslanden is vaak groter dan tussen lage-lonen en hoge-lonen landen. De werkgelegenheidseffecten van internationalsering zijn nauw verbonden met regionale integratie als met het strategische gedrag van MNOs.

This article introduces a multi-level framework to structure and analyse FDI patterns. It is argued that three internationalisation strategies currently simultaneously shape the globalisation of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI): classical internationalisation, emerging internationalisation and competitive internationalisation. De-internationalisation strategies are emphasised to challenge the uni-dimensionality and irreversibility of globalisation. The article states that the rise of competitive internationalisation among countries with similar location conditions, in particular within the European Union and between the European Union and the United States, over the 1990s is most salient. Competitive internationalisation is driven by politically motivated Regional Integration Agreements (RIAs), triggering restructuring related intra-regional FDI and 'locational tournaments' between regions in the attraction of inward FDI. The framework is instrumental in positioning FDI-theories in their geographical context and place internationalisation strategies in an evolutionary perspective.