IMPLEMENTING REPRESENTATIONS OF SPACE IN ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY*

ABSTRACT Since spatial issues have become more important in economic theory, it is of interest to examine how space is represented. In empirical terms, this concerns at least the representation of distance and proximity. Both of these may be represented and operationalized in a number of ways, with possible consequences for inferences when modeling. This question is related to the representation of spatial entities, and itself plays into the treatment of spatial dependence as substantive and/or just a nuisance. Because other disciplines face similar questions—for example ecology or epidemiology, their conceptualizations and operationalizations of space will also be used for comparative purposes.     

THE EMPIRICS OF NEW ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY*

ABSTRACT Although a rich and extensive body of theoretical research on new economic geography has emerged, empirical research remains comparatively less well developed. This paper reviews the existing empirical literature on the predictions of new economic geography models for the distribution of income and production across space. The discussion highlights connections with other research in regional and urban economics, identification issues, potential alternative explanations, and possible areas for further research.     

ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY OF FIRMS AND SKILLED LABOR*

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the relationship between firm location and skilled‐labor location. While existing new economic geography (NEG) models could not explicitly analyze the relationship due to their assumptions, I construct a new NEG‐type model allowing for different location dynamics of firms and skilled labor for this objective. The main results are as follows. First, a relatively large pool of skilled labor attracts firms when trade costs are small, while it might repel firms when trade costs are sufficiently large. Second, assuming that skilled workers are mobile between regions, the model shows that skilled workers agglomerate faster than firms with decreasing trade costs. Third, the model supports the hypothesis that firms follow skilled labor rather than the reverse. These results are consistent to Indian and Chinese experiences, and some “creative‐class” or “skilled‐city” stories.     

ON THE POPULATION DENSITY DISTRIBUTION ACROSS SPACE: A PROBABILISTIC APPROACH

Working within a Bayesian parametric framework, we develop a novel approach to studying the distribution of regional population density across space. By exploiting the Gamma distribution, we are able to introduce heterogeneity across space without incurring an a priori definition of territorial units. Our contribution also permits the inclusion of an approximation of individual preferences as a further driving force in location choices. We perform an empirical application to the case of Massachusetts. Our results demonstrate that a subjective measure of distance performs well in replicating the population distribution across Massachusetts.     

AGING NATIONS AND THE FUTURE OF CITIES*

ABSTRACT We investigate whether an aging population may challenge the supremacy of large working cities. To this end, we develop an economic geography model with two types of individuals (workers and retirees) and two sectors (local services and manufacturing). Workers produce and consume; the elderly consume only. As a result, the mobility decision of workers is driven by both the wage gap and the cost‐of‐living gap, unlike the elderly who react to the differences in the cost of living only. We show that the return of pre‐industrial urban system dominated by rentier cities does not seem to be on the agenda. Quite the opposite, the future of large working cities is still bright, the reason being that today's urban costs act as a strong force that prevents a large share of local services and manufacturing firms from following the rentiers in the elderly cities, while the supply of differentiated b2c services impede their complete separation.     

THE ECONOMIC LAW OF MARKET AREAS: A FURTHER DISCUSSION*

ABSTRACT. The Economic Law of Market Areas, so named by Fetter, is concerned with the division of a territory between two competing centers. It is argued that this Law can be conveniently examined in terms of six cases, each of which is specified by a combination of differentials in freight rates and prices at the two centers. The locational significance of each case is considered, along with the form and dimensions of the market-area boundary between the two centers. Three of the cases are each shown to subsume a special case. It is further shown that for any case except one, a reversal of the differentials between the two centers, while resulting in a symmetrically-equivalent outcome, requires a different (and usually substantial) respecification of the case.     

K. H. RAU AND THE ECONOMIC LAW OF MARKET AREAS*

It is well-known that the economic law of market areas was first discovered by Launhardt (1882, 1885, 1900-1902) in Europe and independently discovered by Fetter (1924) in the United States. This paper shows that the seeds of the law of market areas are contained in a letter of K. H. Rau to M. Quintelet published in 1841, and that Rau's name deserves to be mentioned alongside those of Launhardt, Cheysson, and Fetter, as writers who contributed substantially to the developments of the law of market areas.     

TESTING THE NEW ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY: MIGRATIONS AND INDUSTRIAL AGGLOMERATIONS IN SPAIN*

ABSTRACT This paper examines whether access to markets had a significant influence on migration choices of Spanish internal migrants in the interwar years. In it we perform a structural contrast of a New Economic Geography model that focuses on the forward linkage that links workers location choice with the geography of industrial production. The results prove the existence of a direct relation between workers' localization decisions and the market potential of the host regions. This could help to explain the apparently low intensity of internal migrations in Spain until the 1920s as well as its geography.     

TOWARD A UNIFIED THEORY OF ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY AND URBAN ECONOMICS*

ABSTRACT In this paper, I pursue two objectives. First, I propose a primer in economic geography relying on a simple model that can be solved analytically by undergraduate students. Second, I briefly discuss two topics that, in my opinion, should rank high on the research agenda.     

关于海洋经济地理学发展与展望

本文在介绍了我国海洋经济地理学的发展过程和存在问题的基础上,从国际背景和国内需求两个方面展望了我国海洋经济地理的发展前景。最后,分析了国际海洋地理学的三个发展趋势,具体论述了我国海洋经济地理学四个发展重点,即海洋产业发展与布局、海洋资源与可持续发展研究、滨海旅游空间结构研究和海洋地缘政治研究。     

技术、产业和地方:互联网的经济地理学

从技术与经济的角度入手,在已有的文献资料基础上,对互联网的经济地理学研究进展进行了总结和评述。互联网技术条件下,新空间的产生孕育了新地理学的浮现。文章从互联网的技术基础设施、数码空间区隔、互联网内容产业和电子商务等四个方面总结了互联网经济地理学的研究动态及主要观点。最后还重新审视了网络空间和地理空间之间的相互辨证关系,并提供了进一步研究的方向。     

区域发展理论与当代经济地理学的发展

本文系统地阐述了区域发展理论发展进程的三个阶段,分析了每个阶段最有代表性的关于区域发展的理论,及其对当代经济地理学的影响。指出,区域发展理论在经济地理学研究领域中的广泛应用,有力地推动着学科的发展进程。     

南京大学经济地理学发展历程与展望

南京大学是我国地理学研究的重要阵地,在经济地理学领域更是有着深远的影响。本文基于对地理学刊物上发表论文的统计,对南京大学经济地理学发展的历程进行了系统的研究。南京大学经济地理学发展主要分为快速发展期、波动停滞期、复苏繁荣期、蓬勃发展期等四个阶段。在研究内容上,主要涉及区域经济与区域发展、交通地理学、空间结构与空间布局、产业集群与新产业区、企业与区域增长、低碳经济与可持续发展、全球化的经济活动、技术进步与信息化、制度经济地理学等9个主要领域。这9大领域在国内学界有着重要的影响。最后,展望南京大学经济地理学学科发展,提出新经济地理学、制度转向/文化转向、服务国家需求是未来研究的三大主要方向。