Economic Geography: A Contemporary Introduction / Edition 2

by Neil M. Coe, Philip F. Kelly, Henry W. C. Yeung

Overview

Economic Geography: A Contemporary Introduction, 2nd Edition tackles major questions of economic life, from the activities of transnational corporations and states, to places of work and consumption. In accessible but sophisticated terms, this book invites students to explore how geographies (location, territory, place and scale) shape both large-scale economic processes and our lived experiences. Throughout this comprehensive text, the authors present contemporary insights from the field of Economic Geography, drawing on examples from across the globe. As students engage with this readable account of the field, they will come away with an understanding of how economic processes are rooted in social, cultural and political realities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780470943380
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	01/04/2013
Edition description:	Older Edition
Pages:	576
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

About the Authors:
Neil M. Coe is Professor of Economic Geography at the National University of Singapore.
Philip F. Kelly is Professor of Geography at York University, Canada.
Henry W.C. Yeung is Professor of Economic Geography at the National University of Singapore.

Table of Contents

List of Figures xi

List of Tables xv

List of Boxes xvii

Preface xx

Acknowledgements xxvi

Part I Conceptual Foundations 1

1 Thinking Geographically 3

1.1 Introduction 3

1.2 Location and Distance 6

1.3 Territory 12

1.4 Place 14

1.5 Scale 17

1.6 Summary 23

2 The Economy: What Does It Mean? 27

2.1 Introduction 27

2.2 The Taken-for-Granted Economy 29

2.3 A Brief History of ‘‘the Economy’’ 30

2.4 Basic Economic Processes 38

2.5 Beyond the Assumptions of Economics 43

2.6 Summary 50

3 Capitalism In Motion: Why Is Economic Growth So Uneven? 55

3.1 Introduction 55

3.2 Uneven Development – Naturally! 57

3.3 Fundamentals of the Capitalist System 58

3.4 Inherent Uneven Geographies of Capitalism 64

3.5 Placing and Scaling Capitalism 67

3.6 Going Beyond National Capitalism: A ‘‘Global California’’? 72

3.7 Summary 76

Part II Making the (Spatial) Economy 81

4 The State: Who Runs The Economy? 83

4.1 Introduction 83

4.2 The ‘‘Globalization Excuse’’ and the End of the State? 86

4.3 The State as the Architect of the National Economy 88

4.4 Varieties of States 100

4.5 Rescaling the State 108

4.6 Hollowing-Out the State? 117

4.7 Summary 119

5 Environment/Economy: Can Nature Be A Commodity? 123

5.1 Introduction 123

5.2 How Is Nature Counted in Economic Thought? 126

5.3 Incorporating Nature: Commodification and Ownership 128

5.4 Valuing Nature: The Commodification of Environmental Protection 141

5.5 Human Nature: The Body as Commodity 146

5.6 Summary 150

6 Labor Power: Can Workers Shape Economic Geographies? 154

6.1 Introduction 154

6.2 Is Labor at the Mercy of Globally Mobile Capital? 157

6.3 Geographies of Labor: Who Shapes Labor Markets? 159

6.4 Labor Geographies: Workers as Agents of Change 170

6.5 Migrant Labor 177

6.6 Beyond Capital versus Labor: Toward Alternative Ways of Working? 180

6.7 Summary 183

7 Making Money: Why Has Finance Become So Powerful? 187

7.1 Introduction 187

7.2 Is Global Finance Placeless? 191

7.3 Financing Production: The Evolution of Banking 193

7.4 The Rise of Global Finance 201

7.5 Circulating Capital: Financialization 211

7.6 Summary 216

Part III Organizing Economic Space 221

8 Commodity Chains: Where Does Your Breakfast Come From? 223

8.1 Introduction 223

8.2 Capitalism, Commodities, and Consumers 225

8.3 Linking Producers and Consumers: The Commodity Chain Approach 229

8.4 Re-regulating Commodity Chains: The World of Standards 244

8.5 Where Does a Commodity Chain End? From Waste to Commodities Again 255

8.6 Summary 256

9 Technological Change: Is The World Getting Smaller? 261

9.1 Introduction 261

9.2 The Universalization of Technology? 263

9.3 The Space-Shrinking Technologies 266

9.4 Product and Process Technologies 278

9.5 The Uneven Geography of Technology Creation 288

9.6 Summary 290

10 The Transnational Corporation: How Does The Global Firm Keep It All Together? 294

10.1 Introduction 294

10.2 The Myth of Being Everywhere, Effortlessly 296

10.3 Value Activity and Production Networks: The Basic Building Blocks of TNCs 298

10.4 Organizing Transnational Economic Activities 1: Intra-firm Relationships 302

10.5 Organizing Transnational Economic Activities 2: Inter-firm Relationships 312

10.6 Are There Cultural Limits to Global Reach? 324

10.7 Summary 329

11 Spaces of Sale: How And Where Do We Shop? 333

11.1 Introduction 333

11.2 Explaining Retail Geographies: Central Place Theory and Beyond 335

11.3 The Shifting Geographies of Retailing 338

11.4 The Configuration of Retail Spaces 353

11.5 Constructing Needs and Desires: The Advertising Industry 361

11.6 Summary 365

Part IV People, Identities, And Economic Life 369

12 Clusters: Why Do Proximity And Place Matter? 371

12.1 Introduction 371

12.2 Industrial Location Theory 373

12.3 Binding Clusters Together: Agglomeration Economies 376

12.4 Untraded Interdependencies and Regional Cultures of Production 380

12.5 Toward a Typology of Clusters? 389

12.6 Rethinking Proximity 391

12.7 Summary 398

13 Gendered Economies: Does Gender Shape Economic Lives? 402

13.1 Introduction 402

13.2 Seeing Gender in the Economy 404

13.3 Gendered Patterns of Unpaid Work 406

13.4 Gendering Jobs and Workplaces 410

13.5 Home, Work, and Space in the Labor Market 422

13.6 Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Strategies 423

13.7 Toward a Feminist Economic Geography? 426

13.8 Summary 428

14 Ethnic Economies: Do Cultures Have Economies? 432

14.1 Introduction 432

14.2 ‘‘Color Blind’’ Economics 434

14.3 Ethnic Sorting in the Workforce 436

14.4 Ethnic Businesses and Clusters 445

14.5 The Economic Geographies of Transnationalism 453

14.6 The Limits to Ethnicity 460

14.7 Summary 462

15 Consumption: You Are What You Buy 466

15.1 Introduction 466

15.2 Interpreting the Consumption Process 468

15.3 The Changing Global Consumption Landscape 471

15.4 Cultures of Consumption, Place, and Identity 476

15.5 Toward an Ethical Consumption Politics? 484

15.6 Consuming Places: Travel and Tourism 487

15.7 Summary 493

Part V Conclusion 497

16 Economic Geography: Intellectual Journeys And Future Horizons 499

16.1 Introduction 499

16.2 A Changing Field 501

16.3 A Changing World 513

16.4 Summary 517

Index 521

Editorial Reviews

This will be an exciting new edition and conceptually right up to date. It will weave together new thinking with essential knowledge of the field in a highly successful way. Students will find the structuring of the chapters around major topics attractive. Economic geography has been undergoing an intellectual transformation as it moves to incorporate new approaches and what is proposed here is very much in line with that. It will be highly suitable as a required text.”

Nancy Ettlinger, Ohio State University

“I like the changes proposed for the latest edition. This text blends together a culturally aware analysis of economic geography with a clear sense of what the discipline is about and the international range of case studies is impressive. I have no doubts about the quality of this author team. Individually they are scholars and writers of distinction. Collectively they complement each other and work together extremely well.”

Adam Tickell, University of Sussex

From the Publisher