Xiaohui Jiang presenting at the Global Conference on Economic Geography (GCEG), 2025
My presentation, entitled “Conjunctural crises and restructuring of south-south production networks: The example of the Chinese pesticide industry”, was part of the session "The state and global production networks in a turbulent world economy III: Strategic coupling and regulation", chaired by Professors Martin Hess and Rory Horner. The presented paper was submitted to the Journal of Economic Geography, and this paper successfully entered the review and resubmission process recently.
The session brought together leading scholars exploring the evolving role of the state in global production networks (GPNs), especially under current geopolitical and economic turbulence. Presentations addressed diverse national contexts, including China, Thailand, and Turkey, and critically engaged with emerging concepts such as emerging concepts such as state-led recoupling, hybrid governance models, and shifting regulatory regimes.
Participating in the conference significantly enriched my understanding of how different theoretical approaches—neo-Gramscian, strategic-relational, and neo-Weberian—are being applied to interpret state agency within GPNs. I also benefited greatly from receiving constructive feedback on my paper, which helped me improve the quality of the paper and better prepare for the resubmission.
Beyond academic discussions, the conference was also an invaluable platform for professional development. I had the opportunity to connect with a wide network of scholars working on global production networks and economic geography. Informal conversations and organized events provided useful insights into ongoing special issue calls, journal submission strategies, and career planning in academia—particularly for early-career researchers.
Overall, participating in GCEG 2025 was intellectually rewarding and professionally enriching. It not only strengthened my current doctoral research but also opened up new avenues for collaboration, publication, and scholarly growth.
Photos: Xiaohui Jiang
Xiaohui Jiang