Project Details
Projekt Print View

Varieties of COVID-19 Reactions and Changing Modes of Globalization in the Global South

Subject Area Empirical Social Research
Term from 2021 to 2023
Project identifier Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 468243969
 
Final Report Year 2023

Final Report Abstract

This research aimed to consider the extent to which existing socio-economic regimes, with their varying capabilities and external constraints, influenced the responses to the multiple waves of crises since Covid-19 and therefore shaped the diverse paths of globalisation as well as economic and social upgrading trajectories in the Global South. Theoretically, the project merged global value chain (GVC) approaches with critical comparative institutionalism resulting in the creation of a unique interdisciplinary framework. This innovative approach has proven to be very fruitful in our exploratory analyses thus far and creates analytical space to explore how specific sectoral national case studies can be linked to transnational globalisation patterns. Empirically, this project examined crisis management in India, Brazil and South Africa at the macroeconomic level and in the automobile and garment industries. The rapid collection of qualitative interviews with different stakeholders by our proven foreign research partners has given us an exceptional insight into the different perspectives and capacities of response options in the national sectors. The project found that the pandemic has accelerated and exacerbated alreadyexisting trends in globalized capitalism. Of particular importance is the finding that the gap between the Global North and Global South has widened throughout COVID-19 not only measured in GDP per capita but also in technological advancement and ecological transformation. Analysing the macroeconomic level we discovered that the capacity of the three countries to respond to the pandemic was significantly constrained by their subordinated integration in global production and global financial markets. Further research based on our preliminary framework is needed together with partners from the Global South.

Publications

 
 

Additional Information

Textvergrößerung und Kontrastanpassung