Divestment cycles in the Portuguese electrical and electronics industry – an historical, multilevel analysis (1975–2015)

ABSTRACT This article deals with the topic of divestment. In the early 1990s, the Portuguese electrical and electronics industry (EEI) attracted high levels of foreign direct investment. This increase in capital flows played an important role in Portugal’s economic development. However, after a period of growth and expansion, divestments became more common and the Portuguese government had to work hard to retain the existing investments. This study adopts a qualitative and historical approach to examine how economic and social changes impacted divestments in the EEI between 1975 and 2015, contributing to develop extant theories on divestment. The article helps to understand what happened to the Portuguese manufacturing industry and to the EEI in particular, providing valuable lessons on international divestments and production relocations.