The Limits to Globalization Theory: A Geographic Perspective on Global Economic Change

Abstract

The nature of globalization and global economic change has been a subject of immense academic research during the past two decades. The Janus face of globalization, however, continues to obfuscate our understanding of its complex processes and alleged geographic outcomes. In this article, I theorize on the indispensable role of geography in conceptualizing economic globalization. I argue that economic globalization is an inherently geographic phenomenon in relation to the transcendence and switchability of geographic scales and discursive practices as sociospatial constructions. Given its complex spatiality, economic globalization is more a phenomenon in need of explanations than a universal cause of empirically observable outcomes in the so-called globalization theory. To illustrate my theoretical claims, I analyze the complex interrelationships between globalization processes and the recent Asian economic crisis. Some implications for future globalization research in geography are offered.

Flexible Sojourning in the Era of Globalization: Cross‐border Population Mobility in the Hong Kong–Guangdong Border Region

“…Along with the global flow of goods, capital and people, the cross‐border spread of viruses and germs has severely shaken the foundation of many externally oriented economies, as evidenced by mad‐cow disease in the UK, Europe and North America, and bird flu and SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or atypical pneumonia) in Pacific Asia. While it is generally agreed that ‘something is undoubtedly happening out there’ (Dicken, 2003: 10), it remains highly controversial for scholars to grapple with the precise nature and cause‐effect relationship of ‘globalization’, ‘a chaotic concept’ that has been widely used and variously interpreted (Jessop, 1999: 19; Yeung, 2002: 287). Two major theoretical perspectives appear to lead the way, and both are related to the functioning of territorial borders and the nation‐state.…”

Tales from Two Deltas: Catfish Fillets, High-Value Foods, and Globalization

“…As geographic research on globalization increases in theoretical sophistication, geographers should still "ground truth" globalization with empirical case studies. This article presents a case study that reaffirms the recent attempts (Nagar, Lawson, McDowell, and Hanson 2002;Yeung 2002;Sheppard 2002) to make "broader synthetic statements on the ways in which different process dynamics intersect with one another and result in particular social, economic, and environmental outcomes" (Angel 2002, 254).…”

“…On the one hand, policymakers and corporate interests see globalization as a natural, inevitable, and universal phenomenon that is the necessary foundation for continued and increased economic prosperity. On the other hand, many view it as the current form of economic subordination (Yeung 2002;Sholte 1996;Anderson 2000).…”

“…By taking an actor-oriented approach, we illustrate how a specific set of economic processes and ideologies that operate at different scales produces a more interconnected, interdependent global economy. It is the action of economic agents, who operationalize the strategic construction of global production networks at the local and regional scales that ultimately determines the outcomes of global economic processes (Yeung 2002). This process, sometimes described as "switching scale" or "jumping scale," is made possible by food-processing and transportation technologies, as we will show in the trade of frozen catfish fillets (Yeung 2002;Smith 1992).…”

Regulating economic globalization

“…4 4 For example, Henry Yeung (2002) has argued that varying discourses of globalization (e.g. US‐led attacks on protectionism) and globalism (e.g.…”