Global South countries: The dark side of city logistics. Dualisation vs Bipolarisation

Abstract

Despite an increase in academic research about city logistics in recent years, the topic of cities in developing countries, where some of the world's biggest metropolitan are located, is seldom addressed. This article aims to appraise the unevenness of logistics development throughout the world, by comparing city logistics (notion that we define) between developing countries (or Global South countries) (where “modern” and “traditional” models often coexist) and developed countries (or Global North countries), and to consider future developments. Will logistics in Lagos, Cairo, Mumbai or Mexico one day resemble logistics in New York, Tokyo or London? Will methods from developed countries spread to developing ones? Will modern and traditional organisations converge, hybridise each other, or remain a divided dual system? Will original solutions emerge in developing countries? We show that urban logistics in developing countries is not integrated but dual, i.e. split between two distinct and coexisting types of organisation, management and business model. In addition, the results of this research project show that considering the three cases (India, Mexico, and Morocco) implicitly required a comparison with city logistics in developed countries, considered as the reference standard. As a result, analysing logistics in developing countries can advance knowledge not only on these countries but also, indirectly, on developed ones.