Suchergebnisse

AbstractIn many parts of the world, people access consumer goods mainly via informal economic networks. In this article, I analyse the governance of petty commodity chains through a case study of Chinese fashion jewellery produced for the Ghanaian market. 'Petty commodity chains' denotes a particular type of global value chain, where production, trade, and distribution are carried out by small, unregistered businesses, between which personalized relationships and informal infrastructure enable transactions. These chains are neither controlled by lead firms at the production or distribution ends, nor made up of pure market linkages. Weak formal institutions and an intensely competitive commercial environment encourage business actors to establish enduring relationships. Credit relations run through long stretches of the chain and create mutual dependencies. The concept of 'beholden value chains' is introduced to describe the co‐dependency between business actors and the coordination of activities in petty commodity chains.

AbstractChina's rapid economic development has been accompanied by new forms of immigration. Investors and professionals from developed countries are increasingly joined by a diverse group of immigrants from around the world. While there is a large body of academic literature on Chinese emigration, China's new role as a country of immigration has received less scholarly attention. This paper addresses the dynamics of South–South migration to China through a study of Nigerians in Guangzhou, a major international trading hub. The analysis is based on qualitative interviews and participant observation among African traders and migrants in Guangzhou. The paper contends that Nigerian immigration to China epitomizes global migration trends towards a diversification of migration flows, commercialization of the migration process and increased policing of foreigners within national borders. China was rarely the preferred destination of this study's Nigerian informants but, rather, a palatable alternative, as their aspirations to enter Europe and North America were curtailed by restrictive immigration regimes. They escaped a situation of involuntary immobility in Nigeria through short‐term visas obtained with the help of migration brokers. However, opportunities for visa renewals are scant under the current Chinese immigration policy. Undocumented migrants find their mobility severely inhibited: They must carefully assess how, when and with whom they move about in order to avoid police interception. This is a business impediment, as well as a source of personal distress for migrants who engage in trade and the provision of trade‐related services. The situation can be described as a "second state of immobility": the migrants have succeeded in the difficult project of emigration, but find themselves spatially entrapped in new ways in their destination country.

This study investigates the experiences of Norwegian coaches involved in a winter sports collaboration between Norway and China leading up to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Our analysis delves into the complexities of coach–athlete relationships in collaborations between nations with vastly different sports systems and cultures. Methodologically, the study is based on qualitative interviews with Norwegian coaches involved in the collaboration. Emphasizing the concept of "care," we examine how Norwegian coaches navigated the cultural, bureaucratic, and political tensions that encompassed their relations with the Chinese winter sports athletes. The findings reveal that prioritizing care and athlete welfare serves not only as a coaching philosophy for the Norwegian coaches, but also as both a shield and a justification for their involvement, effectively sidelining broader ethical, and political considerations in the Norway–China winter sports collaboration. This research contributes to understanding the dynamics of international sports collaborations and coaches' strategies for maintaining integrity while engaging in international partnerships marked by different values and traditions.