Economic Geography: The Basics

Economic Geography: The Basics examines how geographical concepts – place, space, territory, networks, and scale – enable the study of economic phenomena from a spatial perspective.

Readers will develop an understanding of the diverse theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches that define ‘Economic Geography’. The six chapters cover the internal complexities and contradictions of the field, its fluid boundaries, and its diverse contexts. Methodologically, the book addresses critical challenges, such as the bias towards national-level analysis that neglects regional and local nuances, and the tendency to oversimplify diverse groups, treating them as uniform entities and ignoring internal complexities. It also underscores the importance of considering the inherent power dynamics between researchers and their ‘subjects’. These critical reflections collectively ensure a more rigorous research framework for explaining how economies function.

Designed for undergraduate and postgraduate students in Geography, Business, Economics, Sociology, and Politics, Economic Geography: The Basics equips students with the spatial analytical tools to explore a wide range of economic activities and their broader societal implications, including but not limited to markets, state interventions, industrialisation processes, the organisation of labour, and the dynamics of social reproduction.

Julie MacLeavy is Professor of Economic Geography at the University of Bristol. She currently serves as the co-Editor-in-Chief of Geoforum.

Kean Fan Lim is Reader in Economic Geography at Newcastle University. He currently serves as an Editor of Antipode.

Allan Watson is Reader in Human Geography at Loughborough University. He currently serves as an Editor of Geoforum.