Industrial Upgrading in the Textiles and Clothing Industry : Pakistan and Late Industrialization

Abstract

The path charting industrial policy towards economic catch-up increasingly recognize the importance of a profound knowledge of firms, including their location, industry, and time specificities. Going beyond simple case studies, this pioneering book addresses all three points brilliantly in addition to showing a strong feel of firms through understanding their operations inside, and at the same time providing empirical grounding and quantitative rigour. It is a rare exercise that locates firms in a taxonomy by trajectories of technological, organizational, and management capabilities of Pakistan’s firms against the lead textiles and clothing firms in the global value chain. It is also the first to locate firms in an international technology trajectory consisting of lead firms right down to the bottom most firms. In doing so, the book goes beyond existing works to demonstrate how firms in poor developing countries can pursue the right policies to stimulate industrial upgrading in general and in the textiles and clothing industry in particular.