Abstract

This paper uses Greenwood County, South Carolina, as a case study to illustrate the contrasting effects of globalization forces on the industrial restructuring of a local economy. The county's industrial structure, similar to that in many small communities in the Piedmont region of the U.S. South, was dominated by the textile industry for over half of the 20th century. By the latter half of the century, however, the county and other textile communities began to realize the need to diversify their industrial base in order to maintain viable local economies. This need became even more apparent as the textile industry began to shift to lower cost, offshore production areas. More recently, globalization forces via foreign direct investment have benefited the local economy, the most notable example being the location of Fuji Film's North American manufacturing headquarters in the county. Greenwood County provides an example of a community that has been able to "harness the local to capture the global." Arguably, the county should be considered a "maker" region, not unlike the status described for the Greenville-Spartanburg area of the state.

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