ABSTRACT
The industrial geography of the Third World acquires special significance in the context of development. The growth of world systems of production, of marketing, and of corporate ownership have created a whole series of dependencies and interdependencies, particularly between the North and the South, so that a full understanding of industry in any area requires an appreciation of the global organisation of industrial production. Lefeber argues that urban-industrial development is not an option in most of the Third World. An unreliable and incomplete data base and inconsistent definitions make it difficult to estimate global patterns of industrial employment. Within a hierarchical system of production, the highest level is occupied by multinational corporations which have become the global connection of greatest importance to Third World industry. The New International Division of Labour (NIDL), ignoring the fact that for several centuries there has existed a rather different division of labour which lay at the heart of the mercantalist empires.
