As an important feature of globalization, EPZs have been monitored by the ILO for over 20 years. Zones take many forms, including free trade zones, special economic zones, bonded warehouses, free ports and maquiladoras. The ILO has defined EPZs as “industrial zones with special incentives set up to attract foreign investors, in which imported materials undergo some degree of processing before being (re)exported again...
Zones have evolved from initial assembly and simple processing activities to include high tech and science zones, finance zones, logistics centres and even tourist resorts. Their physical form now includes not only enclave-type zones but also single-industry zones...
While many public agencies are still establishing zones, there is a distinct trend towards the private development of zones, often by foreign developers. Public zones usually offer better infrastructure than that available in the domestic economy, and private zones generally surpass that in an attempt to attract higher quality investment...
Books and journal articles from Labordoc, the ILO Library's database on the world of work, which cover export processing zones from different perspectives.
