Global Production Networks and Industrial Upgrading in China: The Case in Electronics Contract Manufacturing.

The paper analyzes the networks of U.S. and Taiwan based electronics contract manufacturers in South China, today the world´s most important location for low-cost mass production in the electronics industry. Based on extensive empirical research, the paper traces the production sites, the organization of manufacturing, and the workforce policies of contract manufacturers in the region, and discusses perspectives and limits of industrial upgrading, especially with regard to the role of labor. In theoretical terms, the author attempts to integrate an analysis of "global flagship networks" with concepts of industrial sociology.