Economic geography
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'''Economic geography''' is the study of the location, distribution and spatial organization of economic activities across the [[Earth]]. The subject matter investigated is strongly influenced by the researcher's methodological approach. Neoclassical [[location theory|location theorists]], following in the tradition of [[Alfred Weber]], tend to focus on industrial location and use quantitative methods. Since the 1970s, two broad reactions against neoclassical approaches have significantly changed the discipline: Marxist political economy, growing out of the seminal work of [[David Harvey]]; and the new economic geography which takes into account social, cultural, and institutional factors in the spatial economy.
Economic geography is usually regarded as a subfield of the discipline of [[geography]], although recently economists such as [[Paul Krugman]] and [[Jeffrey Sachs]] have pursued interests that can be considered part of economic geography.<ref>{{cite book|editor=Gordon L. Clark, Meric S. Gertler, and Maryann P. Feldman|title=The Oxford Handbook of Economic Geography|isbn=978-0-19-823410-4|publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref> Krugman has gone so far as to call his application of spatial thinking to international trade theory the "new economic geography", which directly competes with an approach within the discipline of geography that is also called "new economic geography". The name [[geographical economics]] has been suggested as an alternative.<ref>{{cite book|author = Steven Brakman, Harry Garretsen, Charles van Marrewijk|title=An Introduction to Geographical Economics}}</ref>
Given the variety of approaches, economic geography has taken to many different subject matters, including: the location of industries, [[economies of agglomeration]] (also known as "linkages"), transportation, international trade and development, real estate, gentrification, ethnic economies, gendered economies, [[core-periphery]] theory, the economics of urban form, the relationship between the environment and the economy (tying into a long history of geographers studying culture-environment interaction), and [[globalization]]. This list is by no means exhaustive.
==Areas of Study==
Economic geography research focuses on the study of spatial aspects of economic activities on various scales. The distance to the city (or [[Central business district]]) as a marketplace with demand for products plays a significant role in economic decisions of firms while other factors such as access to the sea and the presence of raw materials like oil affects the economic conditions of countries. [[Singapore]], for example, occupies a key position as a [[seaport]], while the wealth of [[Saudi Arabia]] depends almost entirely on [[Petroleum|oil]].
One of the main topics in contemporary economic geography is [[globalization]] which greatly influences location, distribution and character of economic activities around the world. States and their borders play less significant role as many countries tend to eliminate the effects of borders and deepen the mutual cooperation on the global scale. Border regions that are often economically marginal and underdeveloped are also better cooperating with each other. The best example is the creation of [[European Union]]. Significant characteristics is also the occurrence of large [[business cluster]]s that are forming around the world.
===Approaches to study===
*''Theoretical economic geography'' focuses on building theories about spatial arrangement and distribution of economic activities.
*''[[Historical geography|Historical]] economic geography'' examines history and the development of spatial economic structure.
*''[[Regional geography|Regional]] economic geography'' examines the economic conditions of particular regions or countries of the world. It deals with economic [[regionalisation]] as well.
*''[[Critical geography|Critical]] economic geography'' is approach from the point of view of contemporary [[critical geography]] and its philosophy.
*''[[Behavioral geography|Behavioral]] economic geography'' examines the cognitive processes underlying spatial reasoning, locational decision making, and behavior of firms<ref>Schoenberger, E. (2001): ''Corporate autobiographies: the narrative strategies of
corporate strategists''. Journal of Economic Geography 1, 277-98.</ref> and individuals.
==Subdivision==
Thematically economic geography can be divided into these subdisciplines:
*'Geography of agriculture'
*'Geography of industry'
*'Internet Geography'
*'Geography of services'
*'Geography of transportation'
* and others
However, their areas of study may overlap with another [[geography|geographical sciences]] or may be considered on their own.
==History of economic geography==
In the history of economic geography there were many influences coming mainly from [[economics]] and [[geography|geographical sciences]].
First traces of the study of spatial aspects of economic activities on Earth can be found in [[Strabo]]'s ''Geographika'' written almost 2000 years ago. This has recently been challenged, however, by [[History of Cartography#China|seven Chinese maps]] of the [[Qin (state)|State of Qin]] dating to the 4th century BC.
During the period known in geography as [[environmental determinism]] notable (though later much criticized) influence came from [[Ellsworth Huntington]] and his theory of [[climatic determinism]].
Valuable contributions came from location theorists such as [[Johann Heinrich von Thünen]] or [[Alfred Weber]]. Other influential theories were [[Walter Christaller]]'s [[Central place theory]], the theory of core and periphery.
[[Fred K. Schaefer]]'s article ''Exceptionalism in geography: A Methodological Examination'' published in American journal Annals (Association of American Geographers) and his critique of regionalism had a big impact on economic geography. The article became a rallying point for the younger generation of economic geographers who were intent on reinventing the discipline as a science. Quantitative methods became prevailing in research. Well-known economic geographers of this period are [[William Garrison (geographer)|William Garrison]], [[Brian Berry]], [[Waldo Tobler]], [[Peter Haggett]], [[William Bunge]] and others.
Contemporary economic geographers tend to specialize in areas such as [[location theory]] and [[spatial analysis]] (with the help of [[geographic information systems]]), market research, geography of transportation, land or real estate price evaluation, regional and global development, planning, Internet geography, and emano-practituton geography and erastomarkenotation geography
== References ==
{{reflist|2}}
== Further reading ==
*'''Lloyd, P. E. - Dicken, P.''' (1977): ''Location in space - A Theoretical Approach to Economic Geography'', Second Edition. Harper & Row Ltd, London.
*'''[[Doreen Massey (geographer)|Massey, D.]]''' (1984): ''Spatial Divisions of Labour, Social Structures and the Structure of Production'', MacMillan, London.
*'''Lee, R. - Wills, J.''' (1997): ''Geographies of Economies'', Arnold, London.
*'''Dicken, P.''' (2003): ''Global Shift: Reshaping the Global Economic Map in the 21st Century'', Fourth Edition. The Guilford Press.
*'''Allen J SCOTT (2006) "Geography and Economy". Oxford University Press.
==Scientific Journals==
[http://www.clarku.edu/econgeography/ ''Economic Geography''] - founded and published quarterly at [[Clark University]] since 1925 <br>
[http://joeg.oxfordjournals.org/ ''Journal of Economic Geography''] - published by [[Oxford University Press]] since 2001<br>
[http://www.wirtschaftsgeographie.com/ ''Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftsgeographie''] - The [[German Journal of Economic Geography]] published since 1956.<br>
[http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0040-747X&site=1 ''Tijdschrift voor economische en sociale geografie (TESG)''] - Published by The [[Royal Dutch Geographical Society]] (KNAG) since 1948.
==See also==
* [[list of economic geography topics]]
* [[industrial geography]]
* [[location theory]]
* [[spatial analysis]]
* [[development geography]]
* [[regional science]]
* [[retail geography]]
* [[Business cluster]]
* [[Gravity model of trade]]
{{Human geography}}
[[Category:Economic geography]]
[[bg:Икономическа география]]
[[ca:Geografia econòmica]]
[[de:Wirtschaftsgeographie]]
[[et:Majandusgeograafia]]
[[el:Γεωοικονομία]]
[[es:Geografía económica]]
[[eo:Ekonomia geografio]]
[[fr:Géographie économique]]
[[hr:Ekonomska geografija]]
[[it:Geografia economica]]
[[lt:Ekonominė geografija]]
[[nl:Economische geografie]]
[[ja:経済地理学]]
[[pl:Geografia ekonomiczna]]
[[pt:Geografia econômica]]
[[ru:Экономическая география]]
[[sk:Ekonomická geografia]]
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[[uk:Економічна географія]]
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