The missing link: Intersecting governance and trade in the space of place and the space of flows

Commodity chains that once involved a stepwise progression through multiple global, national and local scales are increasingly controlled through new 'spaces' of information and access, beyond the reach of scale-dependent governance regimes such as the state. Thus, to determine the geography of trade, the source and influence of information and the relevance of governance systems which mediate access and control over coastal resources requires an understanding both of the global and locally articulated trade networks. This article uses the case of Southeast Asia shrimp production and trade to examine the linkages between material commodity transfers through the 'space of place' and the movement of information through the 'space of flows'. Linking these two spaces is particularly challenging in information-poor societies where flows of information, technology and consumer perceptions back to these areas pass through a 'black box', limiting clear lines of exchange between producers and globally connected exporters.