Publication

This paper reexamines the concept of the "footloose industry" from the perspective of global production networks (GPNs). China's notebook personal computer industry is used to illustrate the fact that unique labor institutions in the coastal areas of China have permanently changed the structures of GPNs in that industry, including power relations and production organizations. These changes have made the relocation of manufacturing activities more difficult, and have also given contract manufacturers more power regarding relocation decisions.