Understanding the Changing Geography of Labour- Intensive Industries from a GPN Perspective: Case Study of the Hungarian Leather and Footwear Sector
Understanding the Changing Geography of Labour- Intensive Industries from a GPN Perspective: Case Study of the Hungarian Leather and Footwear Sector

Summary/Abstract: Labour-intensive industries have declined in theEast Central European economy after thebeginning of the millennium. Given thisdeterioration, significant employers are vanishingfrom rural areas, leaving behind seriousemployment problems in regions which are lesscapable of resilient restructuring. This articleexamines this shrinkage from a geographicalaspect in the context of the Hungarian leather andfootwear industry. This study focuses on theinterpretation and explanation of the spatialdifferentiation that accompanies this shrinkingprocess. The aim of this paper is to reveal theinfluencing factors that stand in the backgroundof spatially uneven development. The analysis– embedded in the theoretical framework ofglobal production networks – is based on thecorporate database of the Hungarian CentralStatistical Office and invokes the experience ofinterviews carried out with representatives ofindustrial actors as well. In addition to anunderstanding of spatial processes, the intentionof the authors was to investigate the issues to beaddressed in certain locations and under whatconditions the long-standing industrial culturerelated to the sector can be preserved.

• Details
• Contents