Dr John Thoburn
| Job Title | Contact | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Emeritus Reader | J dot T dot Thoburn at uea dot ac dot uk |
Biography
My major disciplinary focus is economics. My expertise lies in trade policy and export promotion, foreign investment, industrial development and sectoral studies, particularly in South East and East Asia. After retiring from DEV in 2006, I moved to Japan where I was Professor of Development Economics at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (‘APU’), returning to the UK in 2008. I also have held visiting professorships recently at Kobe University in Japan and Soochow University in Taiwan - and in 2010-13 again at APU. I serve as a member of the editorial board of the Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, the international advisory board of Asia Pacific World, and am on the panel of subject specialists for the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications. My current research, in collaboration with colleagues in Japan, focuses on industrial policy and the automotive industry in Asia, for which I did fieldwork in Thailand in 2010 and 2011 and in Malaysia in 2012
Selected key publications:
Kaoru Natsuda, Kunio Igusa, Aree Wiboonpongse, and John Thoburn (2012/3), ‘One Village One Product - Rural Development Strategy in Asia: the Case of OTOP in Thailand’, Canadian Journal of Development Studies, forthcoming
John Thoburn (2012/3), ‘Vietnam’, in A. Fosu (ed), Achieving Development Success: Strategies and Lessons from the Developing World, London: Oxford University Press (forthcoming) - for World Institute of Development Economics Research (WIDER)
John Thoburn (2011), ‘From Tin to Petroleum’, in Rajah Rasiah (ed), Malaysian Economy: Unfolding Growth and Social Change, Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press, pp.37-55
Kenta Goto, Kaoru Natsuda and John Thoburn (2011), ‘Meeting the challenge of China: the Vietnamese garment industry in the post-MFA era’, Global Networks, 11 (3), 355-79
Kaoru Natsuda, Kenta Goto and John Thoburn (2010), ‘Challenges to the Cambodian garment industry in the global garment value chain’, European Journal of Development Research, 22 (4), 469-493
John Thoburn (2009), The impact of world recession on the textile and garment industries of Asia, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Vienna, Working Paper 17/2009, Research and Statistics Branch
http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/user_media/Publications/RSF_DPR/WP172009_Ebook.pdf
John Thoburn, Kirsten Sutherland and Nguyen Thi Hoa (2007), ‘Globalisation and restructuring in the textiles sector on households in Vietnam: impacts on households’, Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, vol.12, no.3, August,: 345-366
Michael Tribe, John Thoburn and Richard Palmer-Jones (eds) (2005), Development Economics and Social Justice: Essays in Honour of Ian Livingstone, London: Ashgate (283pp)
John Thoburn (2004), ‘Globalisation and Poverty in Vietnam: [editorial] introduction and overview’, Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, vol.9, no.2, pp.127-144
Khalid Nadvi and John Thoburn (2004), ‘Vietnam in the global garment and textile value chain: impacts on firms and workers’, Journal of International Development, special issue on Globalisation, Production, Employment and Poverty, January, vol.16, no.1, pp.111-123
Simon Roberts and John Thoburn (2003), ‘Adjusting to trade liberalisation: the case of firms in the South African textile sector’, Journal of African Economies, vol.12, no1, pp.74-103
J.T. Thoburn (2000) ‘Development studies education in universities in the new millennium: a United Kingdom perspective’, Journal of International Development Studies (journal of the Japan Society for International Development), vol.9, no.2, December, pp.49-62
J.T. Thoburn, (1997) ’Enterprise reform, domestic competition and export competitiveness: the case of China’, Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy (special issue on Privatization and Public Enterprise Reform in the Asia-Pacific Region, ed. Colin Kirkpatrick), 2(2), pp.166-177
J. Howell and J.T. Thoburn (1996), ‘Industrial Branch Profiles’ , ch.3. of United Nations Industrial Development Organization, China Industrial Development Review, London: Economist Intelligence Unit,, pp. 83-231
J.T. Thoburn (1994), Tin in the World Economy (Edinburgh University Press) [224pp.]
J.T. Thoburn and M. Takashima (1992), Industrial Subcontracting in the United Kingdom and Japan (Avebury, Aldershot) [161pp.]
J.T. Thoburn, H.M. Leung, E. Chau and S.H.Tang (1990), Foreign Investment In China Under the Open Policy: The Experience of Hong Kong Companies (Avebury/Gower). 207pp.
J.T. Thoburn, Primary Commodity Exports and Economic Development: Theory, Evidence and a Study of Malaysia (1977 and 1984) (John Wiley & Sons, London, 1977 ; Japanese-language edition published by Taga Shuppan Ltd., Tokyo, 1984) [326 pp and 405 pp]
J.T. Thoburn (1977), ‘Commodity Prices and Appropriate Technology - some Lessons from Tin Mining’, Journal of Development Studies, vol.14, no.1, October [pp 35-52]
J.T. Thoburn (1973), ‘Exports and the Malaysian Engineering Industry: A Case Study of Backward Linkage’, Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics,vol.35,no.2, May [91-117]
J.T. Thoburn (1973), ‘Exports and Economic Growth in West Malaysia’, Oxford Economic Papers,vol.25,no.1, March [pp 88-111]
I am supervising the following DEV PhD student:
Pablo Wong-Gonzalez; ‘The Emerging Global Division of Labour in the Automative Industry: Mexico and China in the Competitive Arena’
and in recent years PhD students of mine have successfully completed dissertations on Japanese identity, foreign investment and employment in Mozambique, inter-firm relations in Vietnam, the Vietnamese garment industry, Mexico and globalisation, the informal economy in the Sudan, and small scale industry in Tanzania.
Email: j.t.thoburn@uea.ac.uk
DEV Research Groups: Globalisation & Transition
CV and Experience
Click here to download John's CV
Key Research Interests
My major disciplinary focus is economics, particularly trade and industry, mainly in Asia (South East Asia, Vietnam, Japan and China), industrial development and competitiveness in Africa.
DEV Research Groups: Globalisation & Transition
2012/13
Kaoru Natsuda, Kunio Igusa, Aree Wiboonpongse, and John Thoburn (2012/3), ‘One Village One Product - Rural Development Strategy in Asia: the Case of OTOP in Thailand’, Canadian Journal of Development Studies, forthcoming
John Thoburn (2012/3), ‘Vietnam’, in A. Fosu (ed), Achieving Development Success: Strategies and Lessons from the Developing World, London: Oxford University Press (forthcoming) - for World Institute of Development Economics Research (WIDER)
2011
John Thoburn (2011), ‘From Tin to Petroleum’, in Rajah Rasiah (ed), Malaysian Economy: Unfolding Growth and Social Change, Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press, pp.37-55
Kenta Goto, Kaoru Natsuda and John Thoburn (2011), ‘Meeting the challenge of China: the Vietnamese garment industry in the post-MFA era’, Global Networks, 11 (3), 355-79
2010
Kaoru Natsuda, Kenta Goto and John Thoburn (2010), ‘Challenges to the Cambodian garment industry in the global garment value chain’, European Journal of Development Research, 22 (4), 469-493
John Thoburn (2010), ‘Staying in the global economy: a preliminary view of Vietnam after the end of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing’, in Pookong Kee and Hidetaka Yoshimatsu (eds), Global Movements in the Asia Pacific, Singapore: World Scientific, pp.249-264
2009
John Thoburn (2009), The impact of world recession on the textile and garment industries of Asia, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Vienna, Working Paper 17/2009, Research and Statistics Branch
http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/user_media/Publications/RSF_DPR/WP172009_Ebook.pdf
2007
Andries Bezuidenhout, Grace Khunou, Sarah Mosoetsa, Kirsten Sutherland and John Thoburn, ‘Globalisation, production and poverty: the impact of restructuring in the textiles sector on households in South Africa’, Journal of International Development, vol.19, no.5, July, pp.545-565
John Thoburn, Kirsten Sutherland and Nguyen Thi Hoa, ‘Globalisation and restructuring in the textiles sector on households in Vietnam: impacts on households’, Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, vol.12, no.3, August: 345-366
2005
John Thoburn, Khalid Nadvi, Chris Edwards and Markus Eberhardt (2005). ‘Challenges to Vietnamese firms in the global garment and textile value chain’, in Elisa Giuliani, Roberta Rabellotti and Meine Pieter van Dijk (eds), Clusters Facing Competition: the Importance of External Linkages, London: Ashgate, pp.85-105
Thoburn, J.T., with Nguyen Thi Hoa, Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha and Kirsten Sutherland, 'Trade Reform and State-Owned Enterprise restructuring in Vietnam: Implications for Workers' in Tribe, M., J.T. Thoburn and R. Palmer-Jones, Development Economics and Social Justice: Essays in Honour of Ian Livingstone, Aldershot, Hants, UK/Burlington, USA: Ashgate Publishing Ltd, Chapter 18 pp250-262
Tribe, M., J.T. Thoburn and R. Palmer-Jones, Development Economics and Social Justice: Essays in Honour of Ian Livingstone, Aldershot, Hants, UK/Burlington, USA: Ashgate Publishing Ltd
2004
Nadvi, K., and J.T. Thoburn, 'Vietnam in the global garment and textile value chain: impacts on firms and workers' in Journal of International Development 16 (1): 111-124
Nadvi, K., J.T. Thoburn, Bui Tat Thang, Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha, Nguyen Thi Hoa & Dao Hong Le, 'Challenges to Vietnamese firms in the world garment and textile value chain, and the implications for alleviating poverty' in Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy 9 (2) - Special Issue: 249-267
Roberts, S., and J.T. Thoburn, 'Globalization and the South African textiles industry: impacts on firms and workers' in Journal of International Development 16 (1): 125-139
Thoburn, J.T. (ed.), 'Globalization and Poverty in Vietnam' in Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy 9 (2) - Special Issue
Thoburn, J.T., 'Globalization and Poverty in Vietnam: introduction and overview' in Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy 9 (2) - Special Issue: 127-144
2003
Roberts, S. and J.T. Thoburn, 'Adjusting to trade liberalisation: the case of firms in the South African textile sector' in Journal of African Economies 12 (1): 74-103
2001
Thoburn, J.T., 'Becoming an Exporter of Manufactures: the Case of Indonesia' in O. Morrisey and M. Tribe (eds), Economic Policy and Manufacturing Performance in Developing Countries, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, pp97-119
Thoburn, J.T., 'Could Import Protection Drive Manufacturing Exports in Africa?' in D. Belshaw and I. Livingstone (eds), Renewing Development in Sub-Saharan Africa, London: Routledge, 496pp
Thoburn, J.T., Finding the Right Track for Industry in Africa: Some Policy Issues and Options, discussion paper of Industrial Policies and Research Branch, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, Vienna (30pp); and French version - A la Recherche d'une Voie pour L'Industrie Africaine: Enjeux et Options Strategique - simultaneously published by UNIDO
Thoburn, J.T. (associate editor), Routledge Encyclopedia of International Political Economy, London: Routledge, 1817pp
2000
Thoburn, J.T., 'Developing African Exports: the Case of Nigeria' in H. Jalilian, M. Tribe & J. Weiss (eds), Industrial Development and Policy in Africa: Issues of De-Industrialisation and Development Strategy, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, pp222-243
Thoburn, J.T., 'Development studies education in universities in the new millennium: a United Kingdom perspective' in Journal of International Development Studies (journal of the Japan Society for International Development) 9 (2): 49-62
1999
Thoburn, J.T., 'Current Economic Trends in Asia and the Pacific' in Regional Surveys of the World: The Far East and Australasia 2000, London: Europa, pp44-53
1998
Thoburn, J.T., with L.Y. Zhang, 'Joint Ventures in China and their Relation to the Local Economy' in P. Cook, C. Kirkpatrick and F. Nixson (eds) Privatization, Enterprise Development and Economic Reform: Experiences of Developing and Transitional Countries, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, pp150-166
1997
Thoburn, J.T., 'Enterprise reform, domestic competition and export competitiveness: the case of China' in Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy 2 (2): 166-177
1996
Howell, J., and J.T. Thoburn, 'Industrial Branch Profiles' in Chapter 3 of United Nations Industrial Development Organization, China Industrial Development Review; Economist Intelligence Unit, London; pp83-232
