Local Dynamics of Industrial Upgrading

Focusing on the Pearl River Delta's industrial landscape, the book explores how strategic coupling influences industrial upgrading within the framework of relational economic geography. It highlights the challenges faced by firms that have long operated as low-tier suppliers to transnational corporations since China's economic reforms in the 1980s. While some firms have thrived due to indigenous innovation and state support, the majority continue to struggle, revealing a complex dynamic in the region's economic development.