Export processing zones / Special economic zones (AAG Encyclopedia entry)

Export processing zones (EPZ) are spatially delimited areas in which manufacturers produce goods that are largely aimed for export markets. The global trade and investment context from which assembly-based EPZs emerged has changed significantly in recent years, yet the number of zones continues to expand. EPZs act as territorial frontlines of economic growth and liberalization, and continue to be associated with labor rights violations, environmental degradation, land confiscation, and gendered violence. The forms of accumulation they enable stimulate processes of spatial and economic reorganization that extend beyond the zones, making these sites paradigmatic for studies of globalization.