Globalization, foreign direct investment, and urban growth management: Policies and conflicts in Vientiane, Laos

Local Spatial Impacts of Globalization in Developing Countries:

“…In the last few decades, several scientists have tried to investigate the relationships between globalization, urban growth, and regional development, and how globalization affects land use change in urban areas (Logan & Molotch, 1987;Feagin & Parker, 1990;Chitrakar, Baker, & Guaralda, 2016;Leaf, 2002;Vongpraseuth & Choi, 2015;Wei & Liefner, 2012). In this context, the present article highlights the issue of how globalisation could change the structure of urban growth in the city of Sohar in the Sultanate of Oman.…”

“…The practice of the exchange of goods between people and countries has existed since antiquity, with goods often crossing thousands of kilometres; for example, goods were transferred to China and Europe throughout the silk road in the Middle Ages. The term "globalization" began to be used broadly in the early 1960s by social scientists; while economists have used the term since the 1980s (Guillé n, 2001;Yeung, 2002) In the last few decades, there have been huge concerns by scientists about the impact of globalization (Giddens, 1990;Janelle & Beuthe, 1997;Ezcurra & Rodrí guez-Pose, 2013;Liao & Wei, 2015;Leaf, 2002;Lessmann, 2014;Mahgoub, 2004;Mahutga & Smith, 2011;Mazrui, 2001;Held & McGrew, 2007;Pani, 2009;Vongpraseuth & Choi, 2015). According to many scientists (Leaf, 2002;Held & McGrew, 2007;Vongpraseuth & Choi, 2015), globalization has led not only to the expansion of the boundaries of markets and communications but also to the spread of cultural awareness among consumers all over the world.…”

“…According to Held and McGrew (2007), globalization activities have consequences in distant regions. The greatest impact of globalization is a foreign direct investment (FDI) (Vongpraseuth & Choi, 2015), which, in most countries, create opportunities for bettering the lives of the citizens. The priority in most countries around the world, therefore, is to attract direct foreign investment which, in turn, increases the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Tuan & Ng, 2007).…”

“…The literature shows that, at different spatial scales, local, regional, national or continental, the territorial dimension has become an essential component of urban development and spatial organization analysis. Empirical studies have shown that globalization induces major structural changes in national economies and spatial configuration (Leaf, 2002;Mahgoub, 2004;Mazrui, 2001;Pani, 2009;Vongpraseuth & Choi, 2015;Zhu, Qian, & Gao, 2011). Cities play a major role in the redistribution of populations, the activities and the consequent socio-spatial disparities.…”

Editorial introduction

“…The Kingdom of Oman is a good example explored in the second paper by Al-Awadhi (2017), in which he discusses the local aspects of globalization through a case study of Sohar city. The paper first discusses the different definitions of "globalization" and its relation to economic and social aspects (Vongpraseuth & Choi, 2015;Wei & Liefner, 2012), then presents its impact on land use change and urban growth (Leaf, 2002;Mahgoub, 2004).…”