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Geography Literature (geography + literature)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Humanities and Social Sciences	75%

Kinds of Geography Literature

economic geography literature

Selected Abstracts

Heterogeneous transport costs and spatial sorting in a model of New Economic Geography,

PAPERS IN REGIONAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2010
Corey Lang
Economic geography; transport costs; sorting; agglomeration Abstract Transportation costs are of central importance in the New Economic Geography literature, though assumptions about transportation costs continue to be simplistic. This paper begins to address these simplifications by assuming that transportation costs for manufactured goods are heterogeneous. Basic results are consistent with standard models showing dispersion of economic activity for high transport costs and eventual agglomeration as transport costs decline. However, several novel features arise too. Many unstable, dispersed equilibria exist for high average transport costs, but converge to a stable equilibrium path as transport costs decrease. Equilibrium paths smoothly transition from dispersion to agglomeration and do so at an increasing rate. Additionally, transport costs directly influence firms' location decisions and firms spatially sort by transport cost. Resumen Los costos de transporte tienen una importancia capital en la literatura sobre la Nueva Geografía Económica, aunque se siguen asumiendo los costos de transporte de manera simplista. Este artículo empieza a tratar estas simplificaciones, asumiendo que los costos de transporte de bienes manufacturados son heterogéneos. Los resultados básicos son consecuentes con los modelos estándar que muestran la dispersión de la actividad económica para costos de transporte elevados y una eventual aglomeración a medida que los costos de transporte disminuyen. Sin embargo, también aparecen varias características novedosas. Existen muchos equilibrios dispersos, inestables, para costos de transporte promedio elevados, pero convergen en una línea de equilibrio a medida que los costos disminuyen. Las líneas de equilibrio tienen una transición fluida de la dispersión a la aglomeración y lo hacen a una tasa en aumento. Además, los costos de transporte influyen directamente las decisiones de localización de las empresas y estas se ordenan espacialmente de acuerdo a los costos de transporte. [source]

Research and Development, Regional Spillovers and the Location of Economic Activities

THE MANCHESTER SCHOOL, Issue 4 2004
Alberto Franco Pozzolo
I present an endogenous growth model that studies the effects of local inter-industry and intra-industry knowledge spillovers in R&D on the allocation of economic activities between two regions. The equilibrium is the result of a tension between a centripetal force, the cost of transporting goods from one region to the other, and a centrifugal force, the cost increase associated with life in a more crowded area. The presence of local knowledge spillovers, which determines the concentration of the R&D activities within one region, also introduces a further centripetal force that makes a symmetric allocation of the economic activities impossible. The concentration of R&D fosters the equilibrium rate of growth of the economy with respect to the case of no-integration, by increasing the positive effect of local knowledge spillovers. Contrary to the findings of the majority of models in the new economic geography literature, within this framework a reduction in transport costs may be associated with a more even geographical distribution of economic activities. [source]

Knowledge networks of ,buzz' in London's advertising industry: a social network analysis approach

AREA, Issue 3 2010
Oli Mould
There has been a plethora of literature in the last few years attempting to conceptualise how the (international) firm operates in the notion of what has been termed ,buzz'. In this paper, we aim to highlight how the use of social network analysis (SNA) can provide a nuanced view of ,buzz', through a focus on London's advertising industry. In this case study, we use the data on interlocking board members of the advertising companies in London, and visualise their network maps through sociograms. This method of analysis, under-utilised in the economic geography literature, highlights the intensity of connections between companies and particular individuals. It shows the paths of knowledge flow within the industry, and can highlight the key ,gatekeepers' within what is already known to be a highly networked and socialised industry. This is a specific conceptualisation of interaction and provides a quantitative conception of what has hitherto been largely evaluated through qualitative means. [source]

The Rise of a Global Infrastructure Market through Relational Investing

ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2009
Morag Torrance
abstract Infrastructure assets around the world are shifting from public to private ownership. This article investigates how institutional investors are investing beyond their traditional financial and geographic borders and are increasingly serving as owners of infrastructure assets. It shows how infrastructure assets have specific geographies of information embedded in their investment returns and discusses the growing interest of institutional investors in investing in the infrastructure landscape. While infrastructure investments are considered globally, opportunities depend on the availability of specialist information in the region of investment. The article demonstrates that the low-risk, geographically varied returns match the diversification objectives of pension fund portfolios. Relational investing is important in implementing strategies for investing in the infrastructure, since the bidding on and ensuing ownership and management of infrastructure assets around the world require a combination of financial, legal, and technical expertise. The article addresses three distinct economic geography literatures: the geography of finance, pension fund research, and emerging debates on "relational geometries." [source]