Prepared By Prof Alvin So1 SOSC 188 Lecture 17 The Globalization Project (III): Reindustrialization in the Inner Cities
Prepared By Prof Alvin So2 The Characteristics of Reindustrialization Why Reindustrialization? The Impacts of Reindustrialization
Prepared By Prof Alvin So3 The Characteristics of Reindustrialization Firm and Job characteristics – small subcontractors of transnational companies, flexible employment (insecure job), un-skilled, low pay, piece-rate, poor working conditions (rundown building) Worker characteristics – immigrant labor, illegal status (harassed by police) recent arrivals (speak little English) minority and women
Prepared By Prof Alvin So4 Why Reindustrialization? Why workers leave the periphery? Debt, the bankruptcy of third world countryside, high unemployment, can’t make a living. Why the businessmen set up factories in US inner cities? The availability of cheap labor, No unions Friendly local governments
Prepared By Prof Alvin So5 The Impacts of Reindustrialization Economically – It works! create jobs and new waves of capital accumulation Politically - labor union protest, racism, and anti-immigrant movements Ideologically - reproduce peripheral conditions in the core The distinction of core and periphery no long works