Seth Schindler - Böcker

Global capitalism is being reshaped by two major trends. States have become increasingly interventionist, reshaping their economies in response to crises and geopolitical tensions. Secondly, digital platform giants have emerged from the US and China that concentrate political economic power in private hands. This Element argues that these trends are increasingly symbiotic. Digital platforms are being folded into the spiralling rivalry between the US and China. As states tap into their extraterritorial governance capacities by exerting control over platforms, platform firms leverage state support to pursue and expand their internationalization strategies. Therefore, the US-China rivalry is increasingly being fought at the level of the technology stack, a dynamic the authors call state platform capitalism. The Element examines four fields in which this novel regime of competition is at play: digital currencies, technical standards, cyber security, and smart cities. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Global capitalism is being reshaped by two major trends. States have become increasingly interventionist, reshaping their economies in response to crises and geopolitical tensions. Secondly, digital platform giants have emerged from the US and China that concentrate political economic power in private hands. This Element argues that these trends are increasingly symbiotic. Digital platforms are being folded into the spiralling rivalry between the US and China. As states tap into their extraterritorial governance capacities by exerting control over platforms, platform firms leverage state support to pursue and expand their internationalization strategies. Therefore, the US-China rivalry is increasingly being fought at the level of the technology stack, a dynamic the authors call state platform capitalism. The Element examines four fields in which this novel regime of competition is at play: digital currencies, technical standards, cyber security, and smart cities. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

For those wanting to understand implications for the Global South of China’s emergence as a digital superpower, this book analyses China’s digital impact in Latin America, North Africa and Asia, covering issues including platforms, e-commerce, technology transfer and digital surveillance. It also incorporates a major literature review that outlines a six-part future research agenda.At the intersection of China’s growing global presence and growing digital power lies its digital expansion in the low- and middle-income countries of the Global South. Worth billions of USD annually in trade and investment, and having a significant impact on these countries’ social and economic development, this phenomenon has been relatively ignored by researchers to date. This major new volume provides significant new insights that help advance our knowledge of this important topic. A systematic review of literature identifies key issues within the field and outlines a six-part future research agenda. Those issues are then explored in greater depth: reviewing the relationship between activities of Chinese platform firms, the state’s Belt and Road Initiative, and local context in the Global South; investigating the activities of Alibaba as it has sought to grow its operations in Mexico; analysing whether two Chinese tech giants – Huawei and ZTE – are contributing to an upgrading of local technological capabilities in Algeria and Egypt; and digging behind portrayals of China exporting “digital authoritarianism” to understand the realities of surveillance system exports to countries in Latin America. Overall, the book fills important gaps in our understanding of China’s digital expansion in the Global South, and challenges preconceptions and one-sided views of this major recent activity. It was originally published as a special issue of The Information Society.

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in each area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary.This forward-thinking Research Agenda for Economic Geography: Reframing 21st Century Capitalism focuses on contemporary issues in globalization, platformization, climate change and geopolitics. Chapters analyse micro- and macro-economic processes and propose future research agendas.An international range of contributors engage with the four aspects of the contemporary world that are critical to economic geographers: the evolution of capitalism, the future of globalisation, the ‘green’ transition, and advancements in technology. They provide new perspectives on climate change, state capitalism, geopolitics, financialization and supply chain diplomacy. This Research Agenda also explores the role of social inequalities in rising labor precarity, and demonstrates the crucial intersection between public health, geopolitics and global production. Drawing on international case studies, leading experts in the field discuss the global and comparative aspects of various economies.A Research Agenda for Economic Geography: Reframing 21st Century Capitalism is an invaluable tool for students and professors in development studies, human geography, politics and economics. This book will also be an excellent resource for practitioners in the fields of economic policy.

Tensions between the US and China have escalated as both powers seek to draw countries into their respective political and economic orbits by financing and constructing infrastructure.Wide-ranging and even-handed, this book offers a fresh interpretation of the territorial logic of US–China rivalry, and explores what it means for countries across Eurasia, Africa, and Latin America. The chapters demonstrate that many countries navigate the global infrastructure boom by articulating novel spatial objectives and implementing political and economic reforms.By focusing on people and places worldwide, this book broadens perspectives on the US–China rivalry beyond bipolarity. It is an essential guide to 21st century politics.

Tensions between the US and China have escalated as both powers seek to draw countries into their respective political and economic orbits by financing and constructing infrastructure.Wide-ranging and even-handed, this book offers a fresh interpretation of the territorial logic of US–China rivalry, and explores what it means for countries across Eurasia, Africa, and Latin America. The chapters demonstrate that many countries navigate the global infrastructure boom by articulating novel spatial objectives and implementing political and economic reforms.By focusing on people and places worldwide, this book broadens perspectives on the US–China rivalry beyond bipolarity. It is an essential guide to 21st century politics.

Contemporary megaprojects have evolved from the discreet, modernist projects undertaken in the past by centralized authorities to encompass everything from large-scale construction to space exploration. Contemporary Megaprojects explores how these projects have been impacted by cutting-edge technology, the private sector, and the processes of decentralization and dematerialization. With case studies ranging from mega-plantations in Southeast Asia to ocean mapping to sports events, the contributions in this collected volume demonstrate the increasing ambition and pervasiveness of these projects, as well as their significant impact on both society and the environment.