Dr Martin Hess

Research interests

• Regional and urban economic development
• Firms, Strategies and Networks
• Evolution and Change of Global Production Networks
• Governance and Labour
• Sectoral Analysis
• East Asia, Europe

My main research interest firmly lies in the analysis of global production networks (GPNs) and regional development. In particular, I am interested in the embeddedness and power configurations of GPNs and their implications for development outcomes. The latter has renewed my interest in development issues in the Global South which at present is one focus of my research. More specifically, there are currently three areas of research I pursue. First, continued work on the theoretical foundations of the global production networks approach, working towards a cultural political economy of GPNs; second, research on GPNs and logistics; third, the implications of GPN configurations and variegated capitalism on working conditions and workers rights in the Global South.