Firms, Farms and the State in Colombia: A Study of Rural, Urban, and Regional Dimensions of Change

In the past two decades, regional economics has undergone a confusing number of theoretical shifts and changes. This explanatory volume attempts to give focus and direction to the theories associated with regional development. Using Colombia as a basis of study, Helmsing discusses theories of rural and urban change, general and spacial conceptions of rural organization, and the formation of an agro-industrial complex to reshape the rural economy. He considers integrating economic behavior and space at the micro level. Instead of disaggregating from above, Helmsing suggests trying to build up from below, using microeconomic analysis. To illustrate his theoretical propositions, Helmsing uses three case studies, approaching economic and regional interaction from an interpretive, a microcosmic, and an intersectoral angle, respectively. In conclusion, Helmsing presents several propositions intended for further study. As a graduate of the School of Economics, Catholic University at Tilburg, Helmsing received a postgraduate diploma in Regional Planning and a Master s degree in Social Science from the Institute of Social Studies. He earned his doctorate at the same university, and presently is a visiting lecturer at the Department of Rural and Urban Planning, University of Zimbabwe.