CLaSP invites you for a lunch-time seminar on EV manufacturing and industrial policy in South America with Felipe Irarrázaval, Universidad de Chile

The contemporary turmoil of the global economy, in tandem with the climate crisis, is driving the creation and reconfiguration of global production networks linked to the pivotal technologies of the energy transition. Peripheral states are crafting policy interventions to improve their positions within these networks. This talk presents new research on how resource-rich South American countries seek to strategically position themselves in relation to the electric vehicle industry. Focusing on the case of BYD—the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer—we analyze how governments in Chile and Brazil have attempted to create and capture value by aligning regional assets such as natural resources, industrial capabilities, and policy frameworks with the firm’s global strategies.

Felipe Irarrázaval is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Government, Universidad de Chile. His research focuses on the intersection of global production networks, political economy, and resource governance in the context of the energy transition, with particular attention to critical minerals in South America.