"The author presents a challenging perspective on two key issues within contemporary economic and geographical debate. In his first lecture, the author reconsiders some of the foundations of comparative economics and institutionalism in an analysis of the "societal" and "communitarian" bases of social and economic development. Arguing that the interaction between society and community defines critical incentives for actors, the author suggests a context-sensitive sociological framework for the institutional analysis of economic development. The second lecture focuses on urban economics and argues that existing models of urban concentrations are incomplete unless grounded in a more precise understanding of the most fundamental aspect of proximity, face-to-face contact." -- BACK COVER.

The broad spectrum of topics surrounding what is termed the ‘knowledge economy’ has attracted increasing attention from the scientific community in recent years. The nature of knowledge-intensive industries, the spatiality of knowledge, the role of proximity and distance in generating functional knowledge, the transfer of knowledge via networks, and the complex interplay between knowledge, location and economic development are all live academic issues. This book, the fifth volume in Springer’s Knowledge and Space series, focuses on the last of these: the multiple relationships between knowledge, the economy, and space. It reflects the conceptual and methodological multidisciplinarity emerging from this scholarship, yet where there has up to now been a notable lack of communication between some of the contributing disciplines, resulting in lexical and other confusions, this volume brings concord and to foster interdisciplinarity. These complications have been especially evident in our understanding of the spatiality of knowledge, the part that spatial contexts play in knowledge creation and diffusion, and the relevance of face-to-face contacts, all of which are addressed in these pages. The material here is grouped into four sections—knowledge creation and economy, knowledge and economic development, knowledge and networks, and knowledge and clusters. It assembles new concepts and original empirical research from geography, economics, sociology, international business relations, and management. The book addresses a varied audience interested in the historical and spatial foundations of the knowledge economy and is intended to bridge some of the gaps between the differing approaches to research on knowledge, the economy, and space.

'Creative Urban Milieus' is an interdisciplinary examination of the historical relationship between culture and the economy in such cities as Berlin, New York, Helsinki, London, Venice, and many others.

In these essays, David Harvey searches for adequate conceptualizations of space and of uneven geographical development that will help to understand the new historical geography of global capitalism. The theory of uneven geographical development needs further examination: The extreme volatility in contemporary political economic fortunes across and between spaces of the world economy cries out for better historical-geographical analysis and theoretical interpretation. The political necessity is just as urgent since social inequalities have increased in recent decades. Fiscal crises have cascaded across much of the developing world with devastating results from Mexico to Indonesia, Russia and Argentina. Simultaneously, the different oppositional movements to neoliberalism create both opportunities and barriers in the search for alternatives. Harvey shows that this search needs to be supported by a deeper theoretical understanding of the roles of space and uneven geographical development in shaping the world around us. .

This multi-disciplinary collection of essays, provides a thorough analysis of working life in the film and television industries. International in scope, it is the first truly global introduction to film and TV production.

The rapid evolution of Charlotte, North Carolina, from “regional backwater” to globally ascendant city provides stark contrasts of then and now. Once a regional manufacturing and textile center, Charlotte stands today as one of the nation's premier banking and financial cores with interests reaching broadly into global markets. Once defined by its biracial and bicultural character, Charlotte is now an emerging immigrant gateway drawing newcomers from Latin America and across the globe. Once derided for its sleepy, nine-to-five “uptown,” Charlotte's center city has been wholly transformed by residential gentrification, corporate headquarters construction, and amenity-based redevelopment. And yet, despite its rapid transformation, Charlotte remains distinctively southern—globalizing, not yet global. This book brings together an interdisciplinary team of leading scholars and local experts to examine Charlotte from multiple angles. Their topics include the banking industry, gentrification, boosterism, architecture, city planning, transit, public schools, NASCAR, and the African American and Latino communities. United in the conviction that the experience of this Sunbelt city—center of the nation's fifth-largest metropolitan area—offers new insight into today's most pressing urban and suburban issues, the contributors to Charlotte, NC: The Global Evolution of a New South City ask what happens when the external forces of globalization combine with a city's internal dynamics to reshape the local structures, landscapes, and identities of a southern place.

The aim of this handbook is to present an overview of the work on learning, written by leading scholars from all these different perspectives and disciplines.

Geographical economics starts from the observation that economic activity is clearly not randomly distributed across space. This revised and updated introduction to geographical economics uses the modern tools of economic theory to explain the who, why and where of the location of economic activity. The text provides an integrated, first-principles introduction to geographical economics for advanced undergraduate students and first-year graduate students, and has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect important developments in the field, including new chapters on alternative core models and policy implications. It presents a truly global analysis of issues in geographical economics using case studies from all over the world, including North America, Europe, Africa and Australasia, and contains many computer simulations and end-of chapter exercises to encourage learning and understanding through application.

This up-to-date third edition provides an accessible introduction to urban and geographical economics using real world examples and key models.

In this latest edition of Key Thinkers on Space and Place, editors Phil Hubbard and Rob Kitchin provide us with a fully revised and updated text that highlights the work of over 65 key thinkers on space and place. Unique in its concept, the book is a comprehensive guide to the life and work of some of the key thinkers particularly influential in the current ′spatial turn′ in the social sciences. Providing a synoptic overview of different ideas about the role of space and place in contemporary social, cultural, political and economic life, each portrait comprises: Biographical information and theoretical context. An explication of their contribution to spatial thinking. An overview of key advances and controversie. Guidance on further reading. With 14 additional chapters including entries on Saskia Sassen, Tim Ingold, Cindi Katz and John Urry, the book covers ideas ranging from humanism, Marxism, feminism and post-structuralism to queer-theory, post-colonialism, globalization and deconstruction, presenting a thorough look at diverse ways in which space and place has been theorized. An essential text for geographers, this now classic reference text is for all those interested in theories of space and place, whether in geography, sociology, cultural studies, urban studies, planning, anthropology, or women′s studies.