The Disintegration of Production

Reviews / Votes

'It is a conventional belief that the Chinese industrial economy is dominated by large state-owned enterprises closely connected with political power. While this perception is correct for some industries, such as petroleum refinery, this fascinating book, edited by Mariko Watanabe, presents us with a vivid picture of another side of the economy, where smaller enterprises specializing in separate modular products compete with each other on the basis of a common platform, contributing to its dynamism. The book combines fresh theories and hypotheses, derived from intimate field work, with empirical testing. This is certainly an eye-opening work for everyone interested in the future of the Chinese economy.' -- Masahiko Aoki, Stanford University, US 'In short, The Disintegration of Production is important reading for all who are interested in understanding the rise of China as a manufacturing power. While questions remain as lo whether and how Chinese firms will make the transition into higher value-added activities, the cogent theoretical framework and rich empirical detail of the book provide an important contribution to the debate.' -- The Developing Economics