”The Paradox of Globalization: Economic Nationalism and Embedded Foreign Direct Investments ”

Beskrivelse

It was expected that the issue of national ownership of industry and natural resources would phase out in a globalized world. Discourses on neoliberalism suggested that state retreat and denationalization would be the order of the day. However, the opposite is taking place in many countries and calls for nationalizing ownership have heightened in recent years. One can observe the enduring, and increased significance of national identities and nationalism in the gaze of the increased importance for Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) for national economies. Far from being an anachronistic doctrine, local and national
ownership still matters, and processes of deterritorialization often form part of renewed national actualization.

These changes observed over diverse contexts raise important theoretical questions: How can we conceptualize economic nationalism? Has the phenomenon become a contradiction in the age of neo-liberal globalization or is it just another of neo-liberal globalization’s many forms? The concept of economic nationalism may usefully inform our studies of ownership structures today. It can help us to further understand how foreign investors and “ethnic strangers” are dealt with in relation to claims for rights to investments and resources, and how these negotiations vary from one country to another. Furthermore, today’s social and territorial embeddedness of global production networks point at the importance of transcending the limitations of state-centred forms of analysis. Only if FDIs are embedded in local economies will it be possible to reap the benefits through technology transfer and increased economic and productive capabilities. The coexistence of economic nationalism and embedded economic action points to a paradox of contemporary globalization that is not well conceptualized.

Periode	26 okt. 2015 - 27 okt. 2015
Begivenhedstype	Seminar
Placering	Roskilde, Danmark