Probing the position of the Jakarta metropolitan area in global inter-urban networks through the lens of manufacturing firms

Abstract

Probing the position of the Jakarta metropolitan area in global inter-urban networks through the lens of manufacturing firms. Asian Geographer 34 (2), 147-167.

The geographically variegated connections of the Jakarta metropolitan area as produced by manufacturing firms

“…First, as it attunes the framework to relevant geographical contexts, a bottom‐up lens provides an alternative and complementary reading of how a city or sets of cities are articulated into the WCN. In particular, a more nuanced understanding of the contextual specifics in which a particular city or set of cities is situated in the WCN is approached by using particular firms (or sectors) that better capture the urban economic dynamism of that city or set of cities (e.g., Indraprahasta & Derudder, ; Lüthi, Thierstein, & Goebel, ; Schmitt & Smas, ). Second, as the bottom‐up approach produces a more cosmopolitan view of world cities, it helps improving our understanding of the extra‐local relations and positionality of a city that is located in the less affluent parts of the global economy.…”

“…Second, as the bottom‐up approach produces a more cosmopolitan view of world cities, it helps improving our understanding of the extra‐local relations and positionality of a city that is located in the less affluent parts of the global economy. Some examples are the studies by Mans () on Khartoum (Sudan) and by Indraprahasta and Derudder () on the JMA (Indonesia). Third, by using firms of varying size, including “local” and “national” firms, this approach enables to identify the role of small and medium‐sized cities/towns which are usually less visible in top‐down assessments (e.g., Lüthi et al, ; Zhang & Kloosterman, ).…”

“…Despite this changing global and national economic context, the JMA has retained its status as the country's major industrial hub (Hudalah & Aritenang, ). This can, to a large extent, be ascribed to the fact that the Indonesian national government tends to support manufacturing activities, mainly those of non‐agricultural‐ and non‐resource‐based industries, within and surrounding major metropolitan areas in Java, including the JMA (Indraprahasta & Derudder, ). It can be observed that, in terms of economic output, about a quarter of Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP) in manufacturing sector is produced in the JMA alone (BPS [Indonesia Statistical Office], ).…”

“…In addition to such a “top‐down” perspective on WCN analysis, there has been growing interest in assessing the networks of cities that are not necessarily sitting at the apex of a global‐scale urban hierarchy. Such a “bottom‐up” (Mans, ) or “contextually attuned” (Indraprahasta & Derudder, ) approach to city networks may offer complementary insights into the WCN in two respects. First, it speaks to the increasing call to develop a more “cosmopolitan” view in world city research by extending its geographical locus from the most affluent parts of the global economy to less affluent parts (see Robinson, ).…”

“…It has been argued elsewhere that the specific settings (e.g., institutional environments, business systems) in the home countries or regions of firms tend to influence firms' locational strategies (e.g., Fortanier, ; Pauly & Reich, ), thereby co‐shaping city connectivity. This paper addresses this lacuna in the literature by zooming in on the experience of the Jakarta metropolitan area (JMA), arguably the key gateway between Indonesia and the global economy (Indraprahasta & Derudder, ; Wall & van der Knaap, ). The JMA comprises the Special Region of Jakarta and eight city‐level administrative areas, that is, three kabupatens (Bekasi, Bogor, Tangerang Districts) and five kotas (Bekasi, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, South Tangerang Municipalities).…”