Information technologies shape economic space and are often promoted as an essential development strategy in both rich and poor countries. This lecture will examine some of the dynamics of digitally driven production as well as the opportunities and tensions that arise from non-proximate interactions. Three case studies (Amazon, Volvo, and the Thai silk industry) will be used to: (1) explore the various ways in which the Internet can influence the global positionalities of economic actors; and (2) critically introduce the ideas of digital divides, disintermediation and possibilities for new types of development.
