Global Production, National Institutions, and Skill Formation

The Political Economy of Training and Employment in Auto Parts Suppliers from Mexico and Turkey

Merve Sancak

Offers a unique, comparative look at rarely studied cases from Mexico and Turkey, examining their national institutions, links with global value chains, and hiring and training practices
Explores how the state plays a role in shaping national institutions to mediate the pressures of a global economy in both nations, to very different effect
Grounded on a theoretical framework as well as case material from 128 interviews with 39 auto parts producers and stakeholders

Global Production, National Institutions, and Skill Formation

The Political Economy of Training and Employment in Auto Parts Suppliers from Mexico and Turkey

Merve Sancak

Description

Many middle-income countries (MICs) that saw rapid growth in the 1990s and 2000s have been facing the danger of remaining in the 'middle-income trap' unless they shift from labour-intensive, low value-added production to higher value-added activities that require more advanced skills. Intermediate skills and vocational education and training (VET) systems that generate these skills are critical for addressing the challenges for MICs in achieving high-road development.

This book examines the skill systems in Mexico and Turkey, with a focus on auto parts producers, and the implications of these systems for these countries' development. It adopts a multi-layered understanding of the term 'skill system', which comprises firm-level hiring and training practices as well as the national and global dynamics that influence these practices. Drawing on discussions around globalization and the convergence of economic activity vs. national institutions and divergence, as well as interviews with auto parts producers and stakeholders of the skill systems, the book examines how the participation of local firms in global supply chains and these firms' institutional environment affect the firm-level skilling practices. It highlights key differences in the role of the state in the skills systems of Mexico and Turkey and investigates the implications of skilling practices for the high/low-road development prospects of both nations.

Global Production, National Institutions, and Skill Formation

The Political Economy of Training and Employment in Auto Parts Suppliers from Mexico and Turkey

Merve Sancak

1. Introduction
2. The Theoretical Approach
3. The Auto Parts-Automotive Industry in Mexico and Turkey as the Study Case
4. Patterns of Convergence: Global Auto Parts-Automotive Value Chains and Suppliers' Skill Systems
5. Institutions of Skill Formation in Turkey: The Role of the State
6. Institutions of Skill Formation in Mexico: The Role of (Missing) State
7. The Skilling Practices of Turkish AAI Firms and Their Outcomes for Workers and Firms
8. Skilling Strategies and Outcomes of the Skill System in Mexico
9. Concluding remarks

Global Production, National Institutions, and Skill Formation

The Political Economy of Training and Employment in Auto Parts Suppliers from Mexico and Turkey

Merve Sancak

Author Information

Merve Sancak, Lecturer in Globalization, De Montford University

Merve Sancak is Lecturer in Globalization at De Montford University, Leicester, UK. She was previously a Postdoctoral Researcher at Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI), and she completed her PhD in Sociology at the University of Cambridge in 2019. Her research sits between international political economy, comparative political economy, and economic sociology to understand capitalist societies in the context of globalization. More specifically, she is interested in studying the intersections between global political and economic dynamics and national institutional structures, and the implications of these interactions for inclusive development.