The politics of global production:<scp>A</scp>pple,<scp>F</scp>oxconn and<scp>C</scp>hina's new working class

Abstract

Apple's commercial triumph rests in part on the outsourcing of its consumer electronics production to A sia. Drawing on extensive fieldwork at C hina's leading exporter—the T aiwanese‐owned F oxconn—the power dynamics of the buyer‐driven supply chain are analysed in the context of the national terrains that mediate or even accentuate global pressures. Power asymmetries assure the dominance of A pple in price setting and the timing of product delivery, resulting in intense pressures and illegal overtime for workers. Responding to the high‐pressure production regime, the young generation of C hinese rural migrant workers engages in a crescendo of individual and collective struggles to define their rights and defend their dignity in the face of combined corporate and state power.