WORLD ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY

Instructor: Dr. Truong Thi Kim Chuyen

Email: worldeconomicgeography@gmail.com

Weblog: www.socialscience09.wordpress.com

COURSE OUTLINEThe geography of the world

economyEconomic Geography

Conceptual Conceptual foundationsfoundations

01/ Conceptual foundations 01/ Conceptual foundations Page 1-25

Dynamics of Dynamics of economic spaceeconomic space

02/ The changing world economy04/ Patterns of Development and Change05/ Services going global

03/ Commodity chainsPage 87-11504’/ Technology and agglomeration

Actors in Actors in economic spaceeconomic space

10/ International and supranational institutionalized integrationPage -

06/ The state Page 187-21907/ The transnational corporationPage 223-25108/ Labour power Page 254-28109/ Consumption

01/ CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATIONS

Aims:

To understand the assumptions used by economists in understanding the economy.

To recognize the limitations of economic approaches to the economy

To appreciate key concepts in economic geography

SPACE

PLACE

SCALE

LOCATION

DISTANCE

SIZE

SHAPE

KEY WORDS

CONCEPT OF GEOGRAPHY

The studies of the phenomena, processes and patterns of natural environment and the spatial organization of human life as a whole.

3 FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS

1. Where?: Where did/are the phenomenon, processes, patterns happened/happening?

2. Why there?: Why did/are they happened/happening there? (not at a different/other place?)

3. How?: How are they in the relationships to those at other places, and affect or are affected by human life and natural environment?

spatial/geographical thinking

Territoriality and form

Location within space

Flows across space

Unevenness of wealth and development across space

LOCATION

1. Absolute Location

2. Relative Location

1. ABSOLUTE LOCATION

being unique to each described place

measuring the distance separating places

finding directions between places on the earth’s surface.

One of systems (also called mathematic location): a positioning system of precise and accepted identification of a place accurately described by reference to its degrees, minutes and seconds of latitude and longitude.

Ex: Vietnam is located at, latitude: 8010’ to 23024’ N

longitude:1020 O9’ to 109030’ E

Other precise and accepted system: survey system on regional level.

Depends any other characteristics, it has:

Legal description of place,

Measuring the distance separating places,

Finding directions between places on the earth’s surface.

Ex:

Vietnam University: the 6th site, Linh Trung ward, Thu Duc district, HCMC

HCMC International University:

University of Oxford: University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD UK

Stanford University: 630 Serra Street, Suite 120, Stanford, CA 94305-6032 723-4291 USA

2. RELATIVE LOCATION the position of a place in relation to that of other places or

activities It explains spatial interconnection and interdependence

Ex: location of library, cafeteria … to your classroom In other sense, it tells us that people, things, and places exist in

the world of physical and cultural characteristics that differ from place to placeEx: Vietnam is located in the southeastern extremity of the

Indochinese Peninsula, nearby the maritime cross-road of the world

Specificity

uniqueness of places

specific context

Different scale

internal characteristics of a place

Ex: specific places within Niger

DISTANCE1. Absolute distance

refers to the spatial separation between two points on the earth’s surface

measured by standard unit: miles or kilometers, feet or meters (for more closely spaced points).

2. Relative distance

Transforms measurements into other units, more meaningful for the space relationship at question.

Miles, kilometers, meters hours, minutes, monetary system, or psychological transformation (unfamiliar, dangerous/familiar, friendly etc.)

INTERACTION AMONG PLACES Spatial interaction: places interact with other in the

comprehensive ways. Their processes and patterns are described by words ‘accessibility’

and ‘connectivity’

Accessibility:

Connectivity:

ACCESSIBILITY: REFERS TO LOCATION

Consideration of distance implies assessment of accessibility.

Question: How easy or difficult is it to surmount/overcome the barrier of the time and space separation of places? Internal place: transport network… External place: airplane, ship, train,

etc.

CONNECTIVITY: REFERS TO DISTANCE

A broader concept of accessibility implying all tangible and intangible ways in which places are connected Tangible: telephone lines,

street and road systems, pipelines and sewers, etc.

Intangible: radio and TV broadcasts, telecommunications, etc.

Size and shape

Global

Nation

Sub-Nation

Local

SIZESIZE

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≥ 2.500.000 KM22H

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350.000-2.500.000 KM22

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150.000 -> 350.000 KM2

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25.000 -150.000 KM22

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< 25.000 KM2

NAURU

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SHAPESHAPE

Compact Elongated Proprute-Protruded Fragmented Perforated Land-locked Exclave 

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as well as disadvantages

COMPACT

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A compact shaped state is small and centralized. This type of state is the simplest to manage, since the government is close to all portions of the state. The compact form helps to keep the country together by making communications easier within it. In addition, compact states are much easier to defend than states of other shapes. However, compact states are primarily small in size, and therefore may not have as many natural resources as larger states have. A perfect example of a compact state would be Poland.

ELONGATED

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An elongated shaped state is long and narrow. This type of state also has many disadvantages. For example, they are difficult to defend. An elongated state, such as Chile, makes for difficult governance of the peripheral areas in the north and south. However, an elongated state encompasses a variety of landscapes.

PROPRUTE-PROTRUDEDPROPRUTE-PROTRUDED

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 A prorupted state has a long extension, or an extended arm of territory. This protrusion gives the state several advantages. For example, the state gets easy access to the coast and the local resources around it. In addition, prorupted states are also able to prevent a rival access. An example of a prorupted state would be Thailand.

FRAGMENTEDFRAGMENTED

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 A state that is separated by a physical or human barrier. This creates several problems for the country. Many portions of the state are separated by oceans, lakes, and mountains. It is difficult to govern such a country composed of islands, such as Indonesia. In addition, communication is difficult within the state; since portions are separated form the main part of the country.

PERFORATEDPERFORATED

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A perforated state completely surrounds another. A classic example would be South Africa since it surrounds Lesotho. The surrounded nation can only be reached by going through one country. More problems can arise if there is hostility between the two nations. This makes it difficult to enter the surrounding nation.

LAND-LOCKEDLAND-LOCKED

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Approximately one-fifth of the world's countries are landlocked and have no access to the oceans. There are 43 landlocked countries that do not have direct access to an ocean or ocean-accessible sea (such as the Mediterranean Sea). They have the disadvantageous situation of needing to rely upon neighboring countries for access to seaports.

For example, Ethiopia relies on Eritrea for access to the Red Sea and recent conflicts have made that access difficult.

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Doubly-Landlocked Countries

There are two special landlocked countries that are known as doubly-landlocked countries, completely surrounded by other landlocked countries.

EXCLAVE 

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a territory legally or politically attached to a territory with which it is not physically contiguous

ENCLAVE

A country or part of a country that is surrounded by another. However, an enclave does not have political affinity to the surrounding state. Also, an enclave does not belong to another country. For example, the Vatican City is an enclave of Rome. The Vatican City has its own government and is independent from Rome and Italy. Therefore, it is not bound by the rules of Rome, as well as the rules of Italy.

Location theory and the neoclassical approach• Alfred Weber’s industrial

location theory• August Lösch• …

Behavioural approach• By adopting Herbert Simon’s

idea• of bounded rationality,

behavioural economic geographers examined the role of cognitive information

• and human choices in determining decision-making and locational outcomes

Marxistpolitical economy• To address adequately the social and

spatial inequities in economic development and wealth t

• During the late 1980s and the early 1990s, the political economy approach manifested itself in the post-Fordism debate.

Since the mid-1990s, ‘new economic geography’ has moved away from viewing economic processes as separate from social, cultural and political contexts. Instead, social, cultural, and institutional factors tend now to be seen as key factors in understanding economic dynamics. Unlike previous genres, the new economic geography is not represented by a particular theoretical perspective or methodological practice. Rather, it is characterized by an eclectic collection of philosophical standpoints and social theories ranging from poststructuralism and postmodernism to institutionalism and feminism.