Geography

Economic Statecraft of the Hinge State: Industrialization Paths for the Electric Vehicle (EV) and Battery Industry in Hungary, Mexico, and Thailand

Document Type

Article

Abstract

In responding to the calls to better incorporate the role of the state in economic geographic research, in this article we propose an expanded conceptualization of economic statecraft and explore the role of state capacity that forges industrialization paths. We focus on the rise of hinge states as a particular—and we argue, increasingly prevalent—form of economic statecraft under multipolarity that actively develops state capacity to address power asymmetries between states. By taking the case of the electric vehicle and battery industry, we demonstrate how Hungary, Mexico, and Thailand are hedging alliances, leveraging geoeconomics positionality for market access, and territorializing industrialization paths at multiple scales. As such, hinge states play a pivotal role in the global value chains/global production networks, and navigate the US–China geoeconomic competition by exercising supply chain diplomacy to enhance its own strategic autonomy. By engaging with the interdisciplinary debates on economic statecraft and state capacity, our goal is to develop an analytical framework for economic geography that incorporates the role of the state under multipolarity.

Publication Title

Economic Geography

Publication Date

2026

ISSN

0013-0095

DOI

10.1080/00130095.2026.2687516

Keywords

geoeconomics, geopolitics, foreign direct investment, electric vehicle industry, battery industry, Hungary, Mexico, Thailand

Cross Post Location

Student Publications

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