Abstract
In this paper, we examine the location consulting industry as a set of intermediaries that promote globalization when brokering between a demand for suitable sites for direct investment projects emanating from multinational enterprises and the supply of locations produced by host country governments. We outline three themes composing a research agenda: the nature of the knowledge mobilized by these intermediaries and its implications for the organization of the industry; the role of intermediaries as a neglected aspect of coupling within global production networks, and; the globally uneven contribution of intermediaries in different national political economies. We illustrate these themes empirically drawing on original interview research with location consultants and related companies based in Europe. In conclusion, we note how these intermediaries associated with ‘old’ economic geographical knowledge nevertheless continue to evolve practice in ways that shape the global distribution of investment.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1336-1354 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Environment and Planning A |
| Volume | 50 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 1 2018 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The authors gratefully acknowledge funding for this research from the Bartlett School of Planning, University College London.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2017.
Keywords
- Location consultants
- intermediaries
- investment promotion
- knowledge of place
- uneven development
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Environmental Science (miscellaneous)