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Papers by Melanie Feakins
New Economic Spaces: New Economic Geographies, 2017
Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 2018
ABSTRACT In the past decade, Moscow, St Petersburg, and Kazan have become ‘go to’ destinations fo... more ABSTRACT In the past decade, Moscow, St Petersburg, and Kazan have become ‘go to’ destinations for IT specialists from Russia and Central Asia. The ethos of technical creativity and ingenuity, combined with the presence of science, technology and engineering universities, is generating a profound momentum in IT worlds. The vibrant technology communities are becoming magnets for enthusiasts seeking to thrive amongst others with similar devotions. One example is young people from Kazakhstan who are ‘coming of age’ and forging IT careers in these cities. We introduce the concept of ‘liminal mobility’ to explore their narratives. The key roles are played by: secondary schooling situations involving Kazakh-Turkish lyceums; joint Kazakh/Russian programs in mathematics, physics, and IT; and recruitment in dormitories for part-time jobs that became ‘career-making’ positions. The analysis points to the significance of these connections in making the discrepant knowledge mobilities that are the focus of this special issue.
Economic Geography, 2017
abstract Offshore has become a staple term in the lexicon of economic globalization, and, yet, it... more abstract Offshore has become a staple term in the lexicon of economic globalization, and, yet, it has also become a bit of a black-box term. The range of meanings attached tends to mask the complex, dynamic, and emergent qualities that are vital for the constant reinvention of offshore spaces. This article examines the activities of Russian transnationalizing entrepreneurs of the Russian information technology (IT) offshore—a sector that is made up principally of firms based in Russia specialized in providing IT and software services for clients located in Western Europe and North America—and analyzes how their unique experiment to expand operations to Ukraine is generating a new spatial reality, one with internal hierarchies and subspaces, which I call the off-offshore. Drawing on the narratives of engineers, managers, and directors of Russian firms who drive the creation of this new off-offshoring reality, the article focuses on the process and practices developed by transnationalizing entreprenuers. I document how these actors devised the initial attempts for expanding their operations in Ukraine, how they proceeded to implement and adapt their plans, and what language—from biological metaphors to pragmatic business terminology—they use to grasp the newness of this process. The article highlights various unexpected difficulties that the firms encountered in their expansion efforts and discusses the unique new multidimensional knowledge work spacethat becomes the reality of such firms as a result of experimental rhizomatic techniques and practices that they develop—such as management circulation, multidirectional and reversed training, and the development of online forums and in the flesh groups to encourage enthusiasts based in the new locations.
Environment and Planning A, 2007
The offshore outsourcing of software-production services to places outside of the established net... more The offshore outsourcing of software-production services to places outside of the established networks in well-developed core economies is a dynamic and topical aspect of contemporary reorganizations in the software-development industries. Software production and related information technology services are outsourced to firms offshore or, more specifically, to places where labor skills appropriate to these industries are available at lower costs. Notable offshore destinations include: India, Russia, Ireland, Israel, Romania, and Ukraine, among several others. The offshore outsourcing of software production involves complex introductions, reorganizations, and compositions of production chains and management structures in the continuing negotiation of how relations and work processes will be governed across spaces. The author documents the roles of certification—ISO 9000 and CMM—as new governmental forms that shape understandings, perceptions, and strategies for becoming recognized wi...
Economic Geography, 2017
Offshore has become a staple term in the lexicon of economic globalization, and, yet, it has also... more Offshore has become a staple term in the lexicon of economic globalization, and, yet, it has also become a bit of a black-box term. The range of meanings attached tends to mask the complex, dynamic, and emergent qualities that are vital for the constant reinvention of offshore spaces. This article examines the activities of Russian transnationalizing entrepreneurs of the Russian information technology (IT) offshore—a sector that is made up principally of firms based in Russia specialized in providing IT and software services for clients located in Western Europe and North America—and analyzes how their unique experiment to expand operations to Ukraine is generating a new spatial reality, one with internal hierarchies and subspaces, which I call the off-offshore.
Drawing on the narratives of engineers, managers, and directors of Russian firms who drive the creation of this new off-offshoring reality, the article focuses on the process and practices developed by transnationalizing entreprenuers. I document how these actors devised the initial attempts for expanding their operations in Ukraine, how they proceeded to implement and adapt their plans, and what language—from biological metaphors to pragmatic business terminology—they use to grasp the newness of this process. The article highlights various unexpected difficulties that the firms encountered in their expansion efforts and discusses the unique new multidimensional knowledge work spacethat becomes the reality of such firms as a result of experimental rhizomatic techniques and practices that they develop—such as management circulation, multidirectional and reversed training, and the development of online forums and in the flesh groups to encourage enthusiasts based in the new locations.
Global Networks-a Journal of Transnational Affairs, 2009
Offshoring and outsourcing have become the buzzwords of the IT community and the popular media di... more Offshoring and outsourcing have become the buzzwords of the IT community and the popular media discourse about the current era of globalization in services. Acknowledging the geographic perspective expressed in these dominant terms, in this article I examine the processes and activities that are oriented in the opposite direction. Capturing this inversion, I develop the concept of ‘onshoring’ and use research material from fieldwork conducted with IT firms in St Petersburg, Russia and their affiliates, agents and clients in the USA to provide an empirical case study. Onshoring encompasses the corporeal, representational, material and legal practices of offshore firms developing a presence onshore, with Russia as offshore and the USA as onshore in this case. The lack of an established Russian professional diaspora in the USA created a context in which developing a recognizable onshore presence was necessary for firms based in Russia. By explicitly recognizing that the efforts, risk-taking and experimental strategies of offshore firms to create connections, networks and contacts onshore in the USA are a constitutive part of offshore outsourcing, I document and examine the less acknowledged complex flows and practices of onshoring. I argue that although these actors and processes may seem marginal to the widely recognized narrative of offshore outsourcing, in fact, they are creative and strategic compensations that reveal how the globalization of services is enacted at the micro-level.
Eurasian Geography and Economics, 2006
Two political geographers examine significant ways in which northern-tier states of the EU-10 ent... more Two political geographers examine significant ways in which northern-tier states of the EU-10 entrants in 2004 have challenged conceptions of European integration. The paper first focuses on the institution of exclusionary citizenship regimes, particularly in Latvia and Estonia, that created a new caste of "non-citizens" within the EU's boundaries. It then turns to the strained Polish-EU relations involving inter alia the war in Iraq, pro-Americanism, and alleged violation of human rights through the purported existence of CIA detention and interrogation facilities. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: F02, O15, O18, 2 figures, 1 table, 72 references.
Small Business Economics, 2004
This paper explores the processes of financial intermediation that are used by commercial banks i... more This paper explores the processes of financial intermediation that are used by commercial banks in their interactions with SMEs in Poland. The paper develops an argument for examining the empirical realities of commercial bank involvement with the SME sector within the context of economic transformation by suggesting that the connection between them influences the trajectories of economic change within transition. The paper provides a history of re-organisation of the commercial banking sector in Poland, paying particular attention to the involvement of foreign capital and foreign banks as the trend towards increasing foreign participation is apparent in the Central European transition economies. The findings from this research suggest that there are some significant variations within the commercial banking sector in the approach to, and practices for, lending to the SME sector.
New Economic Spaces: New Economic Geographies, 2017
Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 2018
ABSTRACT In the past decade, Moscow, St Petersburg, and Kazan have become ‘go to’ destinations fo... more ABSTRACT In the past decade, Moscow, St Petersburg, and Kazan have become ‘go to’ destinations for IT specialists from Russia and Central Asia. The ethos of technical creativity and ingenuity, combined with the presence of science, technology and engineering universities, is generating a profound momentum in IT worlds. The vibrant technology communities are becoming magnets for enthusiasts seeking to thrive amongst others with similar devotions. One example is young people from Kazakhstan who are ‘coming of age’ and forging IT careers in these cities. We introduce the concept of ‘liminal mobility’ to explore their narratives. The key roles are played by: secondary schooling situations involving Kazakh-Turkish lyceums; joint Kazakh/Russian programs in mathematics, physics, and IT; and recruitment in dormitories for part-time jobs that became ‘career-making’ positions. The analysis points to the significance of these connections in making the discrepant knowledge mobilities that are the focus of this special issue.
Economic Geography, 2017
abstract Offshore has become a staple term in the lexicon of economic globalization, and, yet, it... more abstract Offshore has become a staple term in the lexicon of economic globalization, and, yet, it has also become a bit of a black-box term. The range of meanings attached tends to mask the complex, dynamic, and emergent qualities that are vital for the constant reinvention of offshore spaces. This article examines the activities of Russian transnationalizing entrepreneurs of the Russian information technology (IT) offshore—a sector that is made up principally of firms based in Russia specialized in providing IT and software services for clients located in Western Europe and North America—and analyzes how their unique experiment to expand operations to Ukraine is generating a new spatial reality, one with internal hierarchies and subspaces, which I call the off-offshore. Drawing on the narratives of engineers, managers, and directors of Russian firms who drive the creation of this new off-offshoring reality, the article focuses on the process and practices developed by transnationalizing entreprenuers. I document how these actors devised the initial attempts for expanding their operations in Ukraine, how they proceeded to implement and adapt their plans, and what language—from biological metaphors to pragmatic business terminology—they use to grasp the newness of this process. The article highlights various unexpected difficulties that the firms encountered in their expansion efforts and discusses the unique new multidimensional knowledge work spacethat becomes the reality of such firms as a result of experimental rhizomatic techniques and practices that they develop—such as management circulation, multidirectional and reversed training, and the development of online forums and in the flesh groups to encourage enthusiasts based in the new locations.
Environment and Planning A, 2007
The offshore outsourcing of software-production services to places outside of the established net... more The offshore outsourcing of software-production services to places outside of the established networks in well-developed core economies is a dynamic and topical aspect of contemporary reorganizations in the software-development industries. Software production and related information technology services are outsourced to firms offshore or, more specifically, to places where labor skills appropriate to these industries are available at lower costs. Notable offshore destinations include: India, Russia, Ireland, Israel, Romania, and Ukraine, among several others. The offshore outsourcing of software production involves complex introductions, reorganizations, and compositions of production chains and management structures in the continuing negotiation of how relations and work processes will be governed across spaces. The author documents the roles of certification—ISO 9000 and CMM—as new governmental forms that shape understandings, perceptions, and strategies for becoming recognized wi...
Economic Geography, 2017
Offshore has become a staple term in the lexicon of economic globalization, and, yet, it has also... more Offshore has become a staple term in the lexicon of economic globalization, and, yet, it has also become a bit of a black-box term. The range of meanings attached tends to mask the complex, dynamic, and emergent qualities that are vital for the constant reinvention of offshore spaces. This article examines the activities of Russian transnationalizing entrepreneurs of the Russian information technology (IT) offshore—a sector that is made up principally of firms based in Russia specialized in providing IT and software services for clients located in Western Europe and North America—and analyzes how their unique experiment to expand operations to Ukraine is generating a new spatial reality, one with internal hierarchies and subspaces, which I call the off-offshore.
Drawing on the narratives of engineers, managers, and directors of Russian firms who drive the creation of this new off-offshoring reality, the article focuses on the process and practices developed by transnationalizing entreprenuers. I document how these actors devised the initial attempts for expanding their operations in Ukraine, how they proceeded to implement and adapt their plans, and what language—from biological metaphors to pragmatic business terminology—they use to grasp the newness of this process. The article highlights various unexpected difficulties that the firms encountered in their expansion efforts and discusses the unique new multidimensional knowledge work spacethat becomes the reality of such firms as a result of experimental rhizomatic techniques and practices that they develop—such as management circulation, multidirectional and reversed training, and the development of online forums and in the flesh groups to encourage enthusiasts based in the new locations.
Global Networks-a Journal of Transnational Affairs, 2009
Offshoring and outsourcing have become the buzzwords of the IT community and the popular media di... more Offshoring and outsourcing have become the buzzwords of the IT community and the popular media discourse about the current era of globalization in services. Acknowledging the geographic perspective expressed in these dominant terms, in this article I examine the processes and activities that are oriented in the opposite direction. Capturing this inversion, I develop the concept of ‘onshoring’ and use research material from fieldwork conducted with IT firms in St Petersburg, Russia and their affiliates, agents and clients in the USA to provide an empirical case study. Onshoring encompasses the corporeal, representational, material and legal practices of offshore firms developing a presence onshore, with Russia as offshore and the USA as onshore in this case. The lack of an established Russian professional diaspora in the USA created a context in which developing a recognizable onshore presence was necessary for firms based in Russia. By explicitly recognizing that the efforts, risk-taking and experimental strategies of offshore firms to create connections, networks and contacts onshore in the USA are a constitutive part of offshore outsourcing, I document and examine the less acknowledged complex flows and practices of onshoring. I argue that although these actors and processes may seem marginal to the widely recognized narrative of offshore outsourcing, in fact, they are creative and strategic compensations that reveal how the globalization of services is enacted at the micro-level.
Eurasian Geography and Economics, 2006
Two political geographers examine significant ways in which northern-tier states of the EU-10 ent... more Two political geographers examine significant ways in which northern-tier states of the EU-10 entrants in 2004 have challenged conceptions of European integration. The paper first focuses on the institution of exclusionary citizenship regimes, particularly in Latvia and Estonia, that created a new caste of "non-citizens" within the EU's boundaries. It then turns to the strained Polish-EU relations involving inter alia the war in Iraq, pro-Americanism, and alleged violation of human rights through the purported existence of CIA detention and interrogation facilities. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: F02, O15, O18, 2 figures, 1 table, 72 references.
Small Business Economics, 2004
This paper explores the processes of financial intermediation that are used by commercial banks i... more This paper explores the processes of financial intermediation that are used by commercial banks in their interactions with SMEs in Poland. The paper develops an argument for examining the empirical realities of commercial bank involvement with the SME sector within the context of economic transformation by suggesting that the connection between them influences the trajectories of economic change within transition. The paper provides a history of re-organisation of the commercial banking sector in Poland, paying particular attention to the involvement of foreign capital and foreign banks as the trend towards increasing foreign participation is apparent in the Central European transition economies. The findings from this research suggest that there are some significant variations within the commercial banking sector in the approach to, and practices for, lending to the SME sector.