Ruigrok and van Tulder: The Logic of International Restructuring

Ruigrok, W, and R van Tulder. 1995. The Logic of International Restructuring. Routledge.

1: Introduction

"This book aims to shed light on the patterns by which large, primarily manufacturing, firms are trying to manage domestic and international restructuring, and on the type of 'solutions' produced by these patterns. We shall illustrate that many (best-practice) 'solutions' stem from a specific interest. This book tries to explore and assemble the building blocks of an alternative framework of analysis based on two assumptions. Firstly, it is assumed that not just firms but a multitude of other actors as well are involved in restructuring processes...A second assumption in this book is that firms are not only seeking profits, but that they may also seek to influence the rules of the game of profit-making" (2).

There are three debates as highlighted by the authors: the first debate was over the nature of the restructuring of industry. The second issue explored throughout the 1980s explored technology through the lenses of globalization with an eye towards finance. The third debate explored different drivers of motivation for industrial production, either domestic or global.

The author notes that there is surprisingly little continuity, or attempts at continuity, between these three debates.

The concept of an "industrial complex" is introduced in order to facilitate better understanding of the potential linkages between the earlier debates. The contents of an industrial complex are the following: the core firm, the supplying firms, the dealers and distributors, the workers, the financiers, and the government (7-8).

2: The Elusive Concept of Post-Fordism

"Put simply, Fordism refers to the simultaneous growth of productivity and consumption. Fordism has two varieties: micro-Fordism, where such growth had been generated at the level of the firm, and macro-Fordism, where this simultaneous growth was realized at a societal level, also involving actors such as governments and national trade union federations" (12).

Definitions of post-Fordism are harder to concretize.

There is then an extensive overview of the ambiguous nature of post-Fordism and the need to provide something more concrete.