The insertion of the South African automotive industry into the global mainstream of vehicle manufacturing highlights a number of valuable analytical lessons for developing country automotive economies. The global value chains that dominate the automotive industry have fostered substantial...

BARNES J. and KAPLINSKY R. (2000) Globalization and the death of the local firm? The automobile components sector in South Africa, Reg. Studies 34 , 797-812. As in the case of many developing countries, South African industry is facing a new competitive environment as trade barriers fall. This...

This article critically examines the rapid industrialisation and phenomenal growth of Richards Bay since the early 1960s. Detailed consideration is given to the nature of the development and the various factors that contributed to the unusual economic success of the locality. The article...

This paper assesses the implications for upgrading of integration into two distinct clothing value chains in Lesotho and Swaziland – the value chain characterised by Taiwanese investment and feeding into the US market under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the value chain...

Most value chain analyses remain at an abstract level, underplaying political economy issues and the importance of local context. The paper analyses the manner in which global automotive forces (the dominance of the German assemblers and their multinational corporation first-tier suppliers)...

'Employment intensive growth' has become a centrepiece of government policy and implies that at any given level of growth, the economy needs to become more labour absorbing. State intervention (or the lack of it) is examined in two areas that are important for employment -- agriculture and...

The South African automotive sector has become much more integrated into the global industry since 1995. Rapid export expansion has shifted its orientation fundamentally away from its focus on the small domestic market and the industry is widely regarded as a success story of South Africa's...

The South African automotive industry has been subjected to rapid structural change as a result of policies, which have liberalized imports but also encouraged exports. The sector has become much more internationally integrated with a particularly rapid increase in exports. This paper assesses...

This paper examines the interplay between trade liberalization and the processes of learning, technical change and capability development in the South African automotive component sector. Using case studies based on firm level interviews conducted at various points since 1992, it illustrates how...