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Journal of Economic Geography

In this article, I reassess the undeserved reputation of Inditex's Zara as a 'home-sewn exception to globalization' for supposedly keeping manufacturing at home despite larger trends; and I use the occasion to make a case for rigorous, evidentially strong single-firm case studies. In the process, I draw attention to the manner in which the value-adding qualities of scholarly work are being judged in economic geography; and argue that the prioritization of novelty over unenhanced readings of realities may encourage case studies to be presented as more unique and exceptional than they actually are.

Single-firm case studies in economic geography: some methodological reflections on the case of Zara