Richard Grant

Globalization and the Corporate Geography of Cities in the Less-Developed World

Research on the globalization experience of cities in the less-developed world is sparse. There is a notable gap in the existing literature between theory on global cities and empirical studies of cities in the less-developed world. What is needed is a return to the kinds of intensive fieldwork and primary data collection that were common in “Third World” cities in the 1960s and 1970s—but informed by theory on the changing global political economy. To this end, we present research findings from parallel studies of Accra and Mumbai. These cities were chosen because of their similar political-economic histories and their similar geographic functions as gateways cities in the global economy. A historical theoretical perspective based on the cities’ roles in global political economy is employed to detail important phases in urban evolution in the less-developed world. We concentrate on the changing corporate presence in the two cities as one important manifestation of globalization. Our research focuses on identifying the most salient changes and continuity in the corporate geographies of Accra and Mumbai over time. Our empirical analysis is based on extensive fieldwork conducted locally in both cities. The research findings indicate the emergence of multiple central business districts (CBDs) that are differentially integrated in the wider economy, at local, national, and global scales. We argue that the experiences of Accra and Mumbai are relevant to other cities with a similar history and with a high current exposure to the global economy.

Mapping the Invisible and Real "African" Economy: Urban E-Waste Circuitry

E-waste is a more than

A claim for the case method in the teaching of geography

7 billion industry. Trans-border shipments of e-waste occur in international circuits, typically originating in the United States and Europe, but now also from China, and connect to accumulation sites in particular networked cities in Africa and elsewhere. Debates about the material and environmental weight associated with uncontrolled dumping are now emerging in Africa. We diverge from those debates by concentrating on the economic footprint of e-waste in a Ghanaian context by studying the largest and most prominent e-waste market—Agbogbloshie. This Accra site has achieved notoriety in the global media and among nongovernmental organizations (NGOS), but has received little research and policy attention. In an attempt to remedy this deficiency, a preliminary mapping of e-waste flows of second-hand computers into Ghana is presented. We then map the spatial organization of the e-waste hub and assess meshworks of e-waste activities, elucidating worlds of informal work. This research involved site reconnaissance, 80 questionnaires, and 40 interviews with key stakeholders. Our key finding is that e-waste activities connect Agbogbloshie directly and indirectly to various international circuits, and, most important, thereby articulates a market within a wider urban space-economy. The emphasis is on the intersections of various e-waste conduits as well as shared space within urban informal-formal circuitry.

Liberalization policies and foreign companies in Accra, Ghana

Abstract The case method and use of cases offer geographers an exciting and innovative pedagogical approach. The case method is an interactive learning approach that promotes student discussion and shifts the emphasis from a teacher‐centred to a student‐centred classroom. Currently, this method is part of a growing trend in international affairs education, and preliminary evaluation of the approach has been highly positive. By applying the case method, educators can extrapolate connections between research and teaching, these being poorly realised links to date. In this paper the case method is outlined, the sources of cases and how to teach them are detailed, and the relevance of the case method for geography teaching and learning is evaluated.

Working it out: Labour geographies of the poor in Soweto, South Africa

Globalization in the periphery of the world economy is a poorly understood phenomenon. Africa is stereotypically ‘excluded’ from globalization, and research has not clarified that general negative assessment for specific places in Africa. To redress this deficiency, I examine globalization empirically from the ground upwards through an analysis of foreign companies. Primary and secondary data were collected at the local level to examine the nature and extent of foreign corporate activity in Accra, Ghana. The evidence points to growing inclusion in, rather than exclusion from, the world economy, to increasing service-sector rather than extractive-sector investment, and to foreign companies producing for local and regional markets as well as for international markets. Foreign companies employ a range of strategies to embed themselves in the local market: establishing joint ventures, developing local products, joining national stock markets, and historicizing their presence in the market. This study reemphasizes the need for place-specific fieldwork to enable us to make accurate statements about globalization in particular locations.

Historical Changes in U.S. and Japanese Foreign Aid to the Asia–Pacific Region

Local economic development (LED) research and policy grapple with the informal economy and township transformation. While most current thinking centres on firms, this paper argues that non-firm worlds of work and their spatiality are not adequately understood. Representations of the places where poor people work remain abstract and incomplete. The paper reports on a survey of 320 low-income Sowetan residents and in-depth interviews with 20 workers about their work roles in the urban space economy. The findings, which show poor workers engaging with diverse sectors and locations in complex ways, challenge the dominant spatial narratives about isolated poor residential areas. Poor workers deliberately create their own social capital in work realms. This being the case, a more finely tuned conceptualisation of these workers and their roles in urban space is essential to sharpen LED discussions so that policies can be based more on real rather than imagined spatiality.

Trading Blocs or Trading Blows? The Macroeconomic Geography of US and Japanese Trade Policies

This study examines responses of the worlds two largest foreign-aid donors, the U.S. and Japan, to the end of the Cold War. Using the Asia-Pacific region to assess changes in U.S. and Japanese aid policies, the analysis compares the rhetoric and discourses evident in policy documents with actual aid disbursements to the region before and after the Cold War. In the early days of the post-Cold War, the U.S. refocused aid discourse from geopolitics toward “sustainable development” and “democratization,” but these goals are now challenged by an aid-fatigued and Republican-dominated Congress. By contrast, Japanese support for aid remains strong. The declared purpose of Japanese aid has been broadened beyond their Cold War commercial orientation toward global goals. In terms of disbursements to the region, the U.S. and Japan have responded in opposite ways. While the Japanese are increasing their presence in the region, the U.S. is disengaging, and the gap between the two is increasing over time. The Japanese ...

Sustainable African Urban Futures Stocktaking and Critical Reflection on Proposed Urban Projects

In this paper, US and Japanese trade policies are examined from an institutional perspective: an approach taken with renewed interest by researchers in political science and economics. An attempt is made, by taking this approach, to bridge international and domestic politics by positioning state institutions at the center of analysis. The institutional framework is situated within a cyclical context of Kondratieff cycles in the global economy. The findings demonstrate that the US and Japanese governments have altered their trade policies according to broader cyclical developments in the global economy. US and Japanese trade policies can be seen as the reverse of each other: the US pursued a policy of liberalization up to the 1970s, whereas Japan entertained protectionism, and recently the two have switched roles.

City on edge: immigrant businesses and the right to urban space in inner-city Johannesburg

African cities are receiving increased attention from corporate interests, investors, and property developers, and urban scholars and planners are beginning to reflect what kinds of cities are in the making and which urban projects should be emphasized to produce sustainable environments. There is groundswell of interest in promoting new satellite cities, new central business districts, and retrofitting existing urban development through the application of green technologies. At the same time, urban scholars and civic organizations are vocal in promoting an alternative agenda based on the inclusion of slum urbanism in any future city equation that seeks to embrace sustainability. The core ideas of these opposing camps are the antithesis of each other. A more productive way forward is to pursue a dual track that allows for showcase and iconic new urban projects while focusing special attention on slum urbanism and creative thinking that links the two approaches and situates urban projects within a sustainable development paradigm.

Globalization: An Introduction

Paradoxically, Johannesburg is a quintessentially migrant city and also ranks among the least immigrant-friendly cities in the world. Over the past 20 years, inner-city Johannesburg has been vacated and then reconstituted as a hive of informal trade networks and migration circuits that extends well beyond national borders. Research on immigrants in Johannesburg has contributed significantly to understandings of xenophobic sentiments and immigrant identities, but there remains a large gap in knowledge about immigrant entrepreneurship, economic enclaves and economic mobility. Our research is based on extensive fieldwork, discussions with immigrant organizations and in-depth interviews with immigrants and South Africans engaged in business in three prominent inner-city immigrant business enclaves: Jeppe/Delvers, Eighth Avenue and Raleigh Street. Our research shows that these immigrant business zones each operate differently and vary in the degree to which they connect to urban and national economic grids; some retain stronger ties to transnational networks that link dispersed spaces to Johannesburg, creating specific local milieus. We advocate for a more geographically sensitive and nuanced understanding of immigrant entrepreneurs and a reconsideration of their rights to the city.