China's Shoe Manufacturing and the Wenzhou Model: Perspectives on the World's Leading Producer and Exporter of Footwear

A U.S.-based geographer and specialist on China advances his research on industrial districts and regional development by presenting a 2008 study of shoe manufacturing in Wenzhou (a major center in the world's largest footwear producing and exporting country). More specifically, the author exam...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEurasian geography and economics Vol. 50; no. 6; pp. 720 - 739
Main Author Wei, Y. H. Dennis
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Taylor & Francis Group 01.11.2009
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Asia
Bgi / Prodig
China
Economic development
Economic models
footwear exports
Footwear industry
footwear production
Global economy
global financial crisis
global production network
Globalization
Human geography
industrial district
Industrial parks
regional development
Studies
Wenzhou Model
China
Industry
Footwear industry
Globalization
Regional development
Export
Wenzhou
Industrial district
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Summary:A U.S.-based geographer and specialist on China advances his research on industrial districts and regional development by presenting a 2008 study of shoe manufacturing in Wenzhou (a major center in the world's largest footwear producing and exporting country). More specifically, the author examines how the model of economic development pioneered in Wenzhou (the Wenzhou model) has been transformed in an effort to meet the challenges posed by the global economy. He argues that the scaling up of Wenzhou's footwear industry, through the expansion of sales networks and factories across China and abroad, indicates that other adaptable city regions can overcome similar obstacles. The author challenges both the New Regionalism literature focused on local institutions and assets, as well as perspectives that overemphasize the benefits of globalization and global production networks. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: O100, O140, O180. 2 figures, 3 tables, 60 references.
ISSN:1538-7216
1938-2863
DOI:10.2747/1539-7216.50.6.720