Recent Developments in Western Economic Geographies and Theoretical Thinking for China's Counterpart
Received date: 2003-12-12
Revised date: 2004-08-01
Online published: 2004-12-25
Supported by
National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.40271038; No.40071029
Under the logic of the institutional, cultural, relational, and scalar turns, geographers' contribution to recent developments of Western economic geographies was reviewed. This is balanced by an equal examination on "new economic geography" defined by the mainstream economists in Western countries. The paper holds a view that the two schools, multiple turns and economist's new economic geography, should gain mutual benefits from close dialogues and idea exchanges. In a developing country such as China, the development of economic geography should differ from Western world, due to its different economic development path as well as different background for the academic discipline of economic geography. This does not prevent China's geographers from learning from their counterparts in Western countries. Obviously, it is suggested that China's geographers should enhance identifying and focusing on theoretical problems in research, introducing theories from the relevant disciplines, utilizing mathematics and modeling techniques, and studying in micro scales and micro perspectives. More importantly, the special even unique characteristics in background of Chinese economic geography provide geographers with valuable opportunities. (1) As a fast growth country with great regional disparity, China is confronting a challenge in the balance between economic development and problems in resource exploitation and environment degradation. (2) Geography in China has been strongly biased to natural sciences and economic geographers have been trained with rich knowledge in physical geography, geology, environment science, and biology. (3) The traditional culture particularly Confucius philosophy that emphasizes harmony in personal relation of society and in human-land relation, continuously influences geographers' thinking in research. Under this background, geographers may find many interesting topics that have potentials in producing internationally recognized outcomes. Among them, four appear particularly significant: (1) theoretical construction in spatial structure of economic development, including the issues on uneven regional development, and evolution of fast growth poles or areas; (2) relationship between regional culture and economic development, particularly local cluster and culture under fast rural industrialization in some provinces; (3) relationship between urbanization and industrialization, such as the lag of urbanization as compared with international general situation; and (4) balance of economic development with population growth, resource utilization and environmental protection.
LI Xiaojian, MIAO Changhong . Recent Developments in Western Economic Geographies and Theoretical Thinking for China's Counterpart[J]. Acta Geographica Sinica, 2004 , 59(7s) : 153 -161 . DOI: 10.11821/xb20047s021
[1] Wu Chuanjun. Human Land Relation and Economic Location. Beijing: Xueyuan Press, 1998.
[吴传钧. 人地关系与经济布局. 北京: 学苑出版社, 1998.]
[2] Lu Dadao. An analysis on spatial structure and optimal regional development. Acta Geographica Sinica, 2001, 56(2): 127-135.
[陆大道. 论区域的最佳结构与最佳发展—提出“点-轴系统”和“T”型结构以来的回顾与再分析. 地理学报, 2001, 56(2): 127-135.]
[3] Barnes T J. Retheorizing economic geography: from the quantitative revolution to the "culture turn". Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 2001, 71(3): 546-565.
[4] Yeung H W C. Practicing new economic geographies: a methodological examination. Annual of the Association of American Geographers, 2003, 92(2): 442-462.
[5] Miao Changhong. Economic geography in transaction in the Western World. Human Geography, 2004. (in print)
[苗长虹. 变革中的西方经济地理学: 制度、文化、关系与尺度转向. 人文地理, 2004.]
[6] Massey D. Spatial Divisions of Labour. London: Macmillan, 1984.
[7] Piore M, Sable C. The Second Industrial Divide. New York: Basic Brooks, 1984.
[8] Scott A J. New Industrial Spaces: Flexible Production Organization and Regional Development in North America and Western Europe. London: Pion, 1988.
[9] Storper M, Walker R. The Capitalist Imperative: Territory, Technology and Industrial Growth. Oxford: Blackwell, 1989.
[10] Aydalot Ph, Keeble D (eds.). High Technology Industry and Innovative Environments: The European Experience, London: Routledge, 1988.
[11] Cooke P, Uranga M G, Etxebarria G. Regional systems of innovation: an evolutionary perspective. Environment and Planning A, 1998, (30): 1563-1584.
[12] Morgan K. The learning region: institutions, innovation and regional renewal. Regional Studies, 1997, 31(5): 491-503.
[13] Martin R L. Institutional approaches in economic geography. In: Sheppard E, Barnes T J (eds.), A Companion to Economic Geography. Oxford: Blackwell, 2000. 77-94.
[14] Miao Changhong. A new regional perspective in Western economic geography. Economic Geography, 2002, 22(6): 644-650.
[苗长虹, 樊杰, 张文忠. 西方经济地理学区域研究的新视角. 经济地理, 2002, 22(6): 644-650.]
[15] Brenner N. Cities and the geographies of "actually existing neoliberalism". Antipode, 2002, 34(3): 349-379.
[16] Miao Changhong, Wang Bing. Cultural turn: a new direction in economic geography research. Economic Geography, 2003, 23(5): 577-581.
[苗长虹, 王兵. 文化转向——经济地理学研究的一个新方向. 经济地理, 2003, 23(5): 577-581.]
[17] Lee R, Wills J (eds.). Geographies of Economies. London: Arnold, 1997. xvii.
[18] Pang Xiaomin. A review on the cultural trend in Western economic geography in 1990s. Economic Geography, 2000, 20(3): 5-8.
[庞效民. 90年代西方经济地理学的文化研究趋向评述. 经济地理, 2000, 20(3): 5-8.]
[19] Featherstone M. Consumer Culture and Postmodernism. London: Sage Publications, 1991. 2-3.
[20] Markusen A. Fuzzy concepts, scanty evidence, policy distance: the case for rigour and policy relevance in critical regional studies. Regional Studies, 1999, (33): 869-884.
[21] Amin A. Globalisation and regional development: a relational perspective. Competition and Change, 1998, 1(3): 145-165.
[22] Dicken P, Malmberg A. Firms in territories: a relational perspective. Economic Geography, 2001, 77(4): 345-363.
[23] Yeung H W C. Towards a relational economic geography: old wine in new bottles? Paper presented at the 98th Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, Los Angeles, 19-23 March 2002.
[24] Rediscovering Geography Committee. Rediscovering Geography, 1997.
[25] Brenner N. The limits to scale? Methodological reflections on scalar structuration. Progress in Human Geography, 2001, 25(4): 591-614.
[26] Martin R, Sunley P. Paul Krugman's geographical economics and its implications for regional development theory: a critical assessment. Economic Geography, 1996, 72(3): 259-292.
[27] Gu Chaolin. Difference of 'new economic geography' and economic geography. Acta Geographica Sinica, 2002, 57(4): 497-504.
[顾朝林. “新经济地理学”与经济地理学的分异与对立. 地理学报, 2002, 57(4): 497-504.]
[28] Krugman P. Geography and Trade. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1991.
[29] Krugman P. What's new about the new economic geography? Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 1998, 14(2): 7-17.
[30] Fujita M, Krugman P, Venables A J. The Spatial Economy: Cities, Regions, and International Trade. MIT Press, 1999.
[31] Miao Changhong. Industrial clusters: theoretical comparison of geography and economics. Human Geography, 2003, 18(3): 42-46.
[苗长虹, 崔利华. 产业集聚——地理学与经济学主流观点的对比. 人文地理, 2003, 18(3): 42-46.]
[32] Fujita M, Krugman P. The new economic geography: past, present and the future. Papers of Regional Science, 2004, 83: 139-164.
[33] Li Xiaojian. A new direction of recent economic geography research. Economic Geography, 2002, 22(2): 129-133.
[李小建. 经济地理学近期研究的一个新方向分析. 经济地理, 2002, 22(2): 129-133.]
[34] Clark G L, Feldman M P, Gertler M S (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Economic Geography. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
[35] Martin R L. The 'new economic geography': challenge or irrelevance? Transactions of the Institute of British Geographer NS, 1999, 24(4): 387-391.
[36] Olsen J. On the units of geographical economics. Geoforum, 2002, 33(2): 153-164.
[37] Amin A. What kind of economic theory for what kind of economic geography? Antipode, 2000, 32(1): 4-9.
[38] Rodriguez-Pose A. Killing economic geography with a "cultural turn" overdose. Antipode, 2001, 33(2): 176-182.
[39] Li Xiaojian. International comparison and economic geography with Chinese characteristics. Economc Geography, 2004, 19(1): 27-31.
[李小建. 国际背景与中国特色的经济地理学. 人文地理, 2004, 19(1): 27-31.]
[40] Bai Guangrun. Philosophy weakness in geography. Acta Geographica Sinica, 1995, 50(3): 279-287.
[白光润. 地理学的哲学贫困. 地理学报, 1995, 50(3): 279-287.]
[41] Pan Jiazheng. Negative impact of Confucius on technological development. Guangming Daily, 2002, 17 May, B1.
[潘家铮. 正视儒家思想对科技发展的负作用. 光明日报, 2002. 5. 17, B1(科技周刊).]
/
| 〈 |
|
〉 |