Can foreign capital empower dictatorship? This groundbreaking book develops a unified theory that links three prominent forms of international capital to the endurance of dictatorships. International capital empowers governments to finance two key instruments of non-democratic politics: repression and patronage. The Perils of International Capital uses theory, case studies, and cross-national statistical evidence to demonstrate causal effects between foreign capital and authoritarian politics. These finding are crucial to scholars and policymakers alike, as they call for a recalibration of the welfare effects associated with greater financial globalization. Ahmed reveals that, while foreign capital may improve economic development, it can tragically hinder democratic governance in the process.

The concept of globalization has become ubiquitous in social science and in the public consciousness and is often invoked as an explanation for a diverse range of changes to economies, societies, politics and cultures - both as a positive liberating force and as a wholly negative one. Whilst our understanding of the politics, economics, and social resonance of the phenomenon has become increasingly sophisticated at the macro-level, this book argues that globalization too often continues to be depicted as a set of extra-terrestrial forces with no real physical manifestation, except as effects. The essays challenge this dominant understanding of 'globalization from above' through explorations of the mundane means by which globalization has been achieved. Instead of a focus on the meta-political economy of global capitalism, the book concentrates on the everyday life of capitalism, the not-so-'little' things that keep the 'large' forces of globalization ticking over. With its eye on the mundane, the book demonstrates that a series of everyday and, consequently, all but invisible formations critically facilitate and create the conditions under which globalization has flourished. The emphasis is on concrete moments in the history of capitalism when these new means of regular reproduction were invented and deployed. Only by understanding these infrastructures can we understand the dynamics of globalization. In short, punchy essays by distinguished researchers from across a range of disciplines, this book provides a new way of understanding globalization, moving away from the standard accounts of global forces, economic flows, and capitalist dynamics, to show how ordinary practices and artefacts are crucial elements and symbols of globalization.

European rural landscapes as we experience them today are the result of ongoing processes and interactions between nature and society. These are changing fast: the future landscapes will be different from those we know currently. Written for academics, policy-makers and practitioners, this book is the first to explore the complex histories of rural landscapes in Europe as a basis for their sound governance in future. Tensions between the needs of agricultural spaces driven by economic incentives and a variety of non-agricultural functions are explored to demonstrate current challenges and the shortfalls in the policies that address them. Using inspiring case studies that highlight the roles of regional agents and communities, the authors go further than the usual analyses to illustrate the importance of local context. Written by experts currently working to revitalise the rural landscapes of Europe, the text concludes with suggestions for improving landscape policy and planning practice.

If a city based its planning decisions on the needs of an international bureaucracy rather than on the traditional needs of local residents and businesses, how would that city change? How might it look? In Brussels, Belgium - home to the European Union since 1957 - such change is taking place. Observing the change, Alexis G. Papadopoulos explores a new geographical concept, the Central Executive District. This urban form is significantly different from the Central Business District, its conventional counterpart. Drawing on game and rational choice theories, spatial analysis and land economics, the author analyzes how the landscape of the city's centre has evolved over the last three decades under the influence of successive coalitions of local and foreign elites. He describes how foreign diplomats, international corporate executives and real-estate developers co-operate with one another to carry out major urban projects in the face of resistance from local neighbourhood groups, conservationists and political factions. This study explores the future of world cities like New York, London and Paris and applies the notion of co-operative regimes.

In "Uneven Development," a classic in its field, Neil Smith offers the first full theory of uneven geographical development, entwining theories of space and nature with a critique of capitalist development. Featuring pathbreaking analyses of the production of nature and the politics of scale, Smith's work anticipated many of the uneven contours that now mark neoliberal globalization. This third edition features an afterword updating the analysis for the present day.

Money and the Space Economy Contributor list Pietro Alessandrini Leslie Budd Gordon Clark Sheila Dow Richard T. Harrison Alan Hudson Roger Lee Colin Mason Jane Pollard David J. Porteous Barney Warf Neil Wrigley Alberto Zazzaro Money is central to understanding the space economy. Not only does money itself have its own geographies, but these in turn help to shape the geographies of economic activity more generally. Across the global economy banking systems and money markets are being restructured. A new economic geography of money and finance is emerging, reflecting, among other things, the momentous changes that are taking place in the world's financial systems, particularly the impact of globalisation, deregulation, privatisation and technological change. Money and the Space Economy brings together leading geographers and economists working on money to highlight the changing geographies of banking, the forces underpinning and threatening international financial centres, the relationship between financial systems, business and the local economy, and the financial causes and consequences of the retreat of the state. With case studies drawn from United Kingdom, Europe and the United States, Money and the Space Economy redraws the map of local, regional, national and international financial spaces. Economic Geography/Business/Finance/Social Science

Landscape ecology focuses on spatial heterogeneity, or the idea that where things are and where they are in relation to other things can have important consequences for a wide range of phenomena. Landscape ecology integrates humans with natural ecosystems and brings a spatial perspective to such fields as natural resource management, conservation, and urban planning.

The thirty-seven papers included in this volume present the origins and development of landscape ecology and encompass a variety of perspectives, approaches, and geographies. The editors begin with articles that illuminate the discipline's diverse scientific foundations, such as L. S. Berg's keystone paper outlining a geoecological analysis based on soil science, physical geography, and geology. Next they include selections exemplifying landscape ecologists' growing awareness of spatial pattern, the different ways they incorporated scale into their work, the progression of landscape ecology from a qualitative to a quantitative discipline, and how concepts from landscape ecology have come to permeate ecological research and influence land-use policy, conservation practices, landscape architecture, and geography. Together these articles provide a solid introduction to what is now widely recognized as an important area of research and application that encourages new ways of thinking about natural and human-dominated ecosystems.

Recent state-led urbanization initiatives in China have drastically transformed Chinese rural society - closing the urban-rural divide as well as redistributing wealth and altering the flows of social mobility. In this study Jiabao Sun asks: who are the winners and who are the losers in this process? This book uses two case studies of different modes of state-led rural urbanization - in the villages of Tianjin and Zhejiang - in order to assess the impact on the livelihoods of the villagers, as well as the success of the development initiatives. By focusing on the villagers capabilities, assets and support provided this study examines the imbalances of rural redistribution at three levels: among social groups, among villages and between the rural-urban divide.

Clothes are inherently geographical objects, yet few of us consider the social and economic significance of their journey from design to production to consumption. The Geographies of Fashion is the first in-depth study of fashion economies from a geographer's perspective, exploring the complex relationship between our attachment to the clothes we own, love and desire, and their geographic and economic ties. How far does a garment physically travel from factory to wardrobe? How do clothes come to have social or economic value and who or what creates it? What are the geographies of fashion and how do they interact with one another? This ground-breaking book powerfully reframes fashion spaces, from the body to the city, digital or virtual space to material production, positioning fashion at the centre of contemporary culture and collective identities. Combining contemporary theoretical approaches with a cutting-edge analysis of international fashion brands and institutions including Maison Martin Margiela, Zara, Louis Vuitton, ASOS and Savile Row, The Geographies of Fashion is essential reading for students of fashion, geography and related disciplines including sociology, architecture and design.

"This timely volume comprehensuvely summerises the various approaches to research that have come to constitute contemporary economic geography. Expert assessments provide a lively sense of the research frontier making this essential reading for all who seek to understand and appreciate the field." - Eric Sheppard, University of Minnesota "One of the best economic georgraphy texts in recent years, covering both the history of the discipline and outlining areas for future research... The quality of the chapters remains high throughout and many can and should remain as future reference for research and/or teaching." - Pedro Marques, Journal of Economic Geography What difference does it make to think about the economy in geographical terms? The SAGE Handbook of Economic Geography illustrates the significance of thinking the 'economy' and the 'economic' geographically. It identifies significant stages in the discipline's development, and focuses on the key themes and ideas that inform present thinking. Organised in sections with multiple chapters, The SAGE Handbook of Economic Geography is a complete overview of the discipline that critically assesses: Location, the quantitative revolution and the 'new economic geography' Geographies of globalization and capitalism Geographies of scale/place and the local/global Geographies of nature, agriculture, sustainable development and the political ecology Geographies of uneven development, economic decline, and money and finance Geographies of consumption and services Geographies of regulation and governance, neo-liberalism and welfare. Placing the discipline in vivid historical and contemporary context, The SAGE Handbook of Economic Geography is a timely, essential work for postgraduates, researchers and academics in economic geography.

"A comprehensive and highly readable review of the conceptual underpinnings of economic geography. Students and professional scholars alike will find it extremely useful both as a reference manual and as an authoritative guide to the numerous theoretical debates that characterize the field." - Allen J. Scott, University of California "Guides readers skilfully through the rapidly changing field of economic geography... The key concepts used to structure this narrative range from key actors and processes within global economic change to a discussion of newer areas of research including work on financialisation and consumption. The result is a highly readable synthesis of contemporary debates within economic geography that is also sensitive to the history of the sub-discipline." - Sarah Hall, University of Nottingham "The nice thing about this text is that it is concise but with depth in its coverage. A must have for any library, and a useful desk reference for any serious student of economic geography or political economy." - Adam Dixon, Bristol University Organized around 20 short essays, Key Concepts in Economic Geography provides a cutting edge introduction to the central concepts that define contemporary research in economic geography. Involving detailed and expansive discussions, the book includes: An introductory chapter providing a succinct overview of the recent developments in the field. Over 20 key concept entries with comprehensive explanations, definitions and evolutions of the subject. Extensive pedagogic features that enhance understanding including figures, diagrams and further reading. An ideal companion text for upper-level undergraduate and postgraduate students in economic geography, the book presents the key concepts in the discipline, demonstrating their historical roots and contemporary applications to fully understand the processes of economic change, regional growth and decline, globalization, and the changing locations of firms and industries. Written by an internationally recognized set of authors, the book is an essential addition to any geography student's library.

The Geography of the World Economy provides an in-depth and stimulating introduction to the 'globalization' of the world economy. The book offers a consideration of local, regional, national and global economic development over the long historical term. The theory and practice of economic and political geography provide a basis for understanding the interactions within and among the developed and developing countries of the world. Illustrated in colour throughout, this new edition has been completely reworked and updated to take account of the substantial changes in the world economy, and includes a new chapter on services. It is ideal for upper level university undergraduates and for post-graduates in a variety of specializations including geography, economics, political science, international relations and global studies.

Where economic activity will locate in the future is one of the most important questions in economics. Even though advances in technology have reduced the cost of transport, communication and information gathering and processing, hence curtailing the 'distance penalty', local proximity (clusters) of firms that produce similar, competing and/or related products together with supporting institutions still matter. Economies of scale, activity-specific backward and forward linkages (indivisible production), accumulated knowledge and skills, innovation, existence of sophisticated customers and a fall in transportation costs play relevant roles in the 'protection' of clusters and absolute locational advantages of certain locations. 'Global' competitiveness often depends on highly concentrated 'local' knowledge, capabilities and common tacit codes of behaviour, which can be found in a geographical concentration (cluster) of firms.

'The social and political power of the verity that there are no such things as economies, only economic geographies demands an analysis of the complex flows and relations implied by it. At last, here is a book - the book - which addresses the questions central to the critical understanding of economies and their formative geographies. This is a highly creative and transformative contribution'

Roger Lee, "Professor of Geography, Queen Mary, University of London

"How do we conceptualise the production and re-production of social life? What are the most appropriate ways to conceptualise capitalist economies and their geographies? Economic Geographies integrates ideas of structure, agency, and practice to provide:

- a detailed overview of recent key debates in economic geography: from political-economy and Marxism to post-structuralism

- an explanation of the of relations between production, retail and consumption, governance and regulation

- a discussion of the economy in terms of circuits, flows, and spaces that systematically relates the material to the cultural

Economic Geographies is a systematic audit of related developments in economic geography and the social sciences: these include consumption; economy and nature; and culture.

The text will be required reading for upper-level undergraduates on courses in economic geography.

`A hopeful but nonetheless hard-hitting analysis of alternative economic spaces proliferating in the belly of the capitalist beast. In this book Leyshon, Lee and Williams convene fascinating studies of exchange, enterprise, credit and community. They invite us onto a new and promising discursive terrain where we can analyze, criticize and above all recognize actually existing economies of diversity in the wealthy countries of the West' - J K Gibson-Graham, Australian National University and University of Massachusetts, Amherst

In the context of problems in the `new economy' - from dot.com start-ups, high-technology, and telecoms - Alternative Economic Spaces presents a critical evaluation of alternatives to the global economic mainstream. It focuses on the emergence of alternative economic geographies within developed economies and analyzes the emergence of alternative economic practices within industrialized countries. These include the creation of institutions like Local Exchange and Trading Systems, Credit Unions, and other social economy initiatives; and the development of alternative practices from informal work to the invention of consumption sites that act as alternatives to the monoply of the `big-box', multi-chain retail outlets.

Alternative Economic Spaces is a reconsideration of what is meant by the `economic' in economic geography; its objective is to bring together some of the ways in which this is being undertaken. The volume shows how the `economic' is being rethought in economic geography by detailing new economic geographies as they are emerging in practice.

eBook available with sample pages: PE:0415277507

Contending that Japan's industrial and imperial revolutions were also geographical revolutions, Karen Wigen's interdisciplinary study analyzes the changing spatial order of the countryside in early modern Japan. Her focus, the Ina Valley, served as a gateway to the mountainous interior of central Japan. Using methods drawn from historical geography and economic development, Wigen maps the valley's changes--from a region of small settlements linked in an autonomous economic zone, to its transformation into a peripheral part of the global silk trade, dependent on the state. Yet the processes that brought these changes--industrial growth and political centralization--were crucial to Japan's rise to imperial power. Wigen's elucidation of this makes her book compelling reading for a broad audience.

This is a study of the economics of development and urbanization. Its two principal themes are 1) that simple economic factors explain the spatial location of populations and industries in different countries at different times, and 2) that developing countries create crowded urban areas inadvertently by building large cities that draw people from the countryside who do not find the jobs they come seeking. It reports original theoretical and empirical research.

This book reviews the structure, applications, technologies, governance, environmental sustainability, smart communities, gender space and other issues related to smart cities. The book is divided into four parts. The first one entails the conceptual background, growth and development. The second part presents diverse issues on smart cities in terms of environmental sustainability, the role of the community, and gender space, among others. The third part revolves around economic and technological issues, and the fourth is a compilation of case studies in connection with smart cities. This collection of diverse issues from different locations presents a holistic view of smart cities contributed by authors who have undertaken research projects and implemented their own unique perspectives and methods. A variety of innovative concepts such as digital governance, polycentric structures, geodata repositories, geoweb services and advanced geospatial technologies in smart city planning, urban microclimatic parameters, and urban heat islands provide invaluable knowledge for researchers and practitioners in these fields.

This book assesses the vulnerability impacts of climate change on food security by examining a 50 years scenario (2015- 2065) and following a top-down approach. Importantly, looking at the sustainable food production, the authors compared the cost-benefit of adaptation costs from 2015 to 2065. It was found that a 15% adaptation capacity is more efficient for Malaysia in order to combat the climate change effects on the food sector. This book has developed a quantitative adaptive model namely, the Malaysian Climate and Economy (MCE) model, based on the dynamic Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) modeling structure to examine food sustainability and adaptation strategies. Malaysia experiences an unusual combination of droughts and extreme rainfall events that can be attributed to climate change. These unusual events and consequences leave Malaysian policymakers looking for ways to make Malaysia self-sufficient in terms of agriculture. It is assumed that climate change effects may result in increasing food insecurity and vulnerability in the future. Policy measures are in place to lessen the likely climatic effects overall, but there is an urgent need to develop an adaptation policy for the future.