MONOPSONY AND PLANT LOCATION IN A THÜNEN LAND USE MODEL*

ABSTRACT. Previous work has developed a method for studying noninfinitesimal operational units, called “plantations,” with the Thüen model. In that model, increasing returns to scale generate large operational units, but the potential market power conferred by the scale economies is sidestepped as an issue. The present work introduces finite supply elasticities and examines their locational impacts. The profit-maximizing monopsonistic plantation is smaller, and the shipment distance for its processed output is shorter, than for a comparable competitive plantation. The present approach does not involve spatial competition strategies.     

Scotland’s Electoral Geography Differed from the Rest of Britain’s in 2017 (and 2015) – Exploring its Contours

The rapid expansion in support for the Scottish National Party (SNP) between the 2010 and 2015 general elections substantially changed the country’s electoral geography, as again did its relative decline at the next election in 2017. At that last contest, however, the SNP won many seats with fewer than 40% of the votes cast, a situation very different from that in the rest of Great Britain. That difference – which had a considerable impact on the formation of a government in June 2017 – came about because of the nature of the competition in individual seats.     

Managment of Beached Shipwreck Archaeological Sites: Defining Stability

The archaeological remains of ships in the beach zone are part of a complex and dynamic system. Being periodically exposed and reburied, they vary between being both visible and frequently forgotten features of the physical and cultural coastal landscape. These limited and non-renewable resources are highly susceptible to instability within the landscape. Challenges to stability result in these resources being damaged, ignored, or forgotten, leading to a potential loss of pertinent social, economic, and physical information. Although little can be done to prevent certain physical actions, a better understanding of physical and cultural processes allows for their mitigation and better management practices for the beached shipwreck resource. This paper looks at how stability is defined in relation to beached shipwreck sites and how these definitions impact the management of the resource of two case study sites in Maine and North Carolina.     

The importance of location and scale in rural and small town tourism product development: The case of the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre,Manitoba, Canada

This paper begins with a review of the literature on tourism in rural economies, to establish a framework for analyzing large‐scale tourism products in rural and small town regions. The review is followed by the development of a typology of large‐scale attractions in rural and small town regions, including parks, casinos, events, heritage, and cultural products. The typology leads into the example of the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre (CFDC) in Manitoba, Canada. Located in an agricultural region of south‐central Manitoba, the community of Morden is located 125 km from the provincial capital city, Winnipeg, which had a population of 811,900 in 2016. Morden is also located 35 km north of the border with North Dakota. Thus, while a small town in a traditionally rural region still dependent upon an agricultural economic base, Morden has been recently successful in diversifying its economy, including through manufacturing, services, hospitality, and tourism. In part, this success is due to a south‐central Manitoba location; however, it is also the result of innovative local leadership, including the prioritization of hospitality and tourism related to the CFDC. This paper describes the case study as an example of successful tourism development within an already economically and socially diversifying region.     

Neutral Bystander,Intrusive Micromanager,or Useful Catalyst?

An analysis of Forest Service-related legislative activity found that increasingly Congress is becoming involved in agency activities and decisionmaking. Congress's growing scrutiny and management of the Forest Service is indicated by rising trends in requests for agency testimony at congressional hearings, in the number of Forest Service-related bills and amendments introduced in Congress, and in the amount of Forest Service-related legislation enacted. Anecdotal evidence of direct political pressure imposed upon agency personnel by congressional members also indicates that much congressional influence occurs outside of these legislative activities. An examination of activities such as these and directives attached to annual appropriation bills also shows that not all congressional actions are productive in fostering positive agency change. The results of this study indicate the likelihood that Congress has been playing a major role in instigating change within the agency.     

Is the Forest Service Keeping Up With the Times?

Interest groups involved in the Forest Service's 1990 Resources Planning Act (RPA) forest planning process and representatives from accredited forestry schools were surveyed via a written questionnaire on their perceptions of change within the Forest Service since 1976. Respondents felt that the agency had changed, particularly during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Consumptive users perceived the change to be negative, while non-consumptive user groups and forestry schools felt it was somewhat positive, although they still felt the Forest Service had much further to go in this direction before achieving these groups' desired priorities for National Forest management. These results indicate that the agency is undergoing a net shift in direction towards increased emphasis on non-commodity forest uses. In general, external forces, such as Congress and the courts, were seen as having a greater impact on agency change than were sources of change within the agency itself. Forestry schools agreed most often with non-consumptive users, indicating that these programs may be undergoing a change away from their traditional focus on timber production. In addition to providing valuable insights on the subject of change in the Forest Service, these survey results locate areas of agreement and disagreement, and provide valuable feedback to the agency regarding its constituent groups' views about its performance in managing the National Forests.     

Contingency,Realism, and the Expansion Method

This paper examines the relationship between scientific realism and the expansion method. The frame of reference for our investigation is their joint conceptualization of “contingency.” We first explore the varied historical meanings of contingency; this is followed by a survey of its differential deployment within geographic thought. Attention then turns to theorizations of contingency in realism and the expansion method. The final portion of the paper assesses the potential for integrating these two analytic traditions within geographic research.