"The biggest strength of the book is its pedagogic design, which will appeal to new entrants in the field but also leaves space for methodological debates... It is well suited for use on general courses but it also involves far more than an introduction and is full of theoretical insights for a more theoretically advanced audience." - Economic Geography Research Group In the last fifteen years economic geography has experienced a number of fundamental theoretical and methodological shifts. Politics and Practice in Economic Geography explains and interrogates these fundamental issues of research practice in the discipline. Concerned with examining the methodological challenges associated with that ′cultural turn′, the text explains and discusses: qualitative and ethnographic methodologies the role and significance of quantitative and numerical methods the methodological implications of both post-structural and feminist theories the use of case-study approaches the methodological relation between the economic geography and neoclassical economics, economic sociology, and economic anthropology. Leading contributors examine substantive methodological issues in economic geography and make a distinctive contribution to economic-geographical debate and practice.

A critical assessement of qualitative and quantative methods in economic geography, this text discusses key methodological issues in economic geography during the last 20 years.

A revised and updated edition of the leading introductory text on the geography of economic life, from the local to the global Economic Geography is an engaging and accessible introduction to the different ways modern economic geographers understand, analyze, and interpret economic processes. This comprehensive text addresses significant questions relevant to contemporary economic life, from the activities of transnational corporations to issues surrounding workplaces and consumption. It encourages readers to explore how spatial patterns, places, networks, and territories shape large-scale economic processes. Accessible, highly-illustrated material presents fresh insights from the field—complemented by relatable, real-world examples that help students understand the social, cultural, and political contexts underpinning global economic processes. Now in its third edition, this extensively revised and updated textbook retains the features and thematic structure that have proved popular with students and instructors alike, while adding exciting new content. New chapters explore how the global economy and global development are institutionalized and governed, the economic geographies of global climate change, economic practices outside the capitalist mainstream, the role of migrants in labour markets, global production networks, and more. Introduces economic geography with a thematic approach including major concepts, current debates, and case studies Revised and updated to enhance international coverage, including three entirely new chapters on international development, alternative economies, and global climate change Substantial new content on labour migration, global production networks, and recent intellectual trends such as evolutionary economic geography Highly illustrated with diagrams and photographs closely integrated into the text Pedagogical aids including key case studies, learning objectives, text boxes, chapter essay questions, summaries, and further reading Core geographical concepts – such as place, networks and territory – are closely integrated into all chapters. Economic Geography: A Contemporary Introduction is an invaluable source of up-to-date knowledge for students new to the field, for those requiring a solid foundation, as well as for a broader academic and public readership with interest in this area of study.

Setting out to explore the intersections of economy and geography, this book brings together contributions from the world's top economic geographers. Over forty contributors draw upon contemporary theory and experience to explore the cultural and social constitution of economic geographies, processes of globalisation and new forms of political regulation and practice. Although focusing upon 'new' economic geography, the book also illustrates the many connections with previous scholarship as scholars seek to reconstruct the traditions of political economy to understand the contemporary world. Highlighting and illustrating contemporary developments, the book opens up discussion about the implications of the complex geographies involved. In pointing to new directions of research and debate, this major statement in state of the art economic geography demonstrates the central relevance of economic geography not only in understanding the trajectories of change but in proposing alternatives.

The last four decades have seen major changes in the global economy, with the collapse of communism and the spread of capitalism into parts of the world from which it had previously been excluded. Beginning with a grounding in Marxian political economy, this book explores a range of new ideas as to what economic geography can offer as it intersects with public policy and planning in the new globalised economy. Approaches to Economic Geography draws together the formidable work of Ray Hudson into an authoritative collection, offering a unique approach to the understanding of the changing geographies of the global economy. With chapters covering subjects ranging from uneven development to social economy, this volume explores how a range of perspectives, including evolutionary and institutional approaches, can further elucidate how such economies and their geographies are reproduced. Subsequent chapters argue that greater attention must be given to the relationships between the economy and nature, and that more consideration needs to be given to the growing significance of illegal activities in the economy. The book will be of interest to students studying economic geography as well as researchers and policy makers that recognise the importance of the relationships between economy and geography as we move towards a sustainable future economy and society.