Increased emphasis on the links between regional diversity and regional knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurship highlights the need for a focus on the spatial aspects of these multifaceted, dynamic relationships in order to improve our understanding. By means of a conceptual approach, this timely book illustrates the links between innovation and economic development through the role of space. This thought-provoking book addresses the questions regarding diversity, innovation and clusters that require further investigation and analysis. Chapters written by expert contributors bring together cutting-edge theoretical and empirical studies to consider issues such as how spatial diversity affects collaboration, knowledge and innovation; how innovation arises in various locations; how innovative approaches can be identified for local regeneration; and how the growing visibility and importance of start-up companies in the global economy can be analysed. Diversity, Innovation and Clusters will be a key resource for students and academics researching in the fields of economic geography, regional economics, innovation and entrepreneurship. This book provides insights that will be crucial for providing policy makers, planners and consultants with a more comprehensive decision-making platform by utilising spatial perspectives as a driving force for economic growth and development. Contributors include: T. Arvemo, D. Bartlett, K. Berg, I. Bernhard, U. Grasjoe, T. Gronning, M. Imase, I. Jonsson, C. Karlsson, N. Kishida, U. Lundh Snis, M. McKelvey, T. Maeno, L. Mosesdottir, T. Mroczkowski, G.F. Mulligan, M. Okuyama, A.K. Olsson, K. Sakakura, T. Yasui

Providing critical insight into the globalization of product conception, production, marketing and distribution, this Handbook comprehensively explores the functioning of global value chains (GVCs) and how they shape the global economy. It provides theoretical, analytical and empirically based policy-relevant tools to understand international production and trade in the modern global economy. Written by a multidisciplinary group of leading scholars, this Handbook offers expert guidance on GVC analysis and the relationship between GVCs and governance, power relations, gender, upgrading and international development. The contributors also provide insight into strategy, innovation and learning, highlighting the dynamism and resilience of GVCs, and critically reflect on how GVCs affect inequality and the nature of work and production. Comprising empirically rich and innovative research, this Handbook will be critical reading for advanced undergraduate and master's level students interested in international business, global industries, sustainable development and the governance of global production systems. Academics researching and teaching in these fields will also benefit from this book's broad and comprehensive approach to GVC analysis.

A novel contribution to the growing field of regional innovation policies, this timely book combines recent theoretical developments and empirical contributions. With a keen focus on non-core regions, some of the top scholars in the field discuss the topics of regional path transformation, place-based strategy and policy learning. Analysing the role of EU institutions, the book includes a thematic section on EU regional and innovation policies as well as four key case studies of peripheral European regions, Galicia, Apulia, Malopolska and Agder. By analysing these case studies, the authors offer advice on how to improve regional innovation policies and systems within a modern context, where smart specialisation dominates and competitiveness is increasingly relevant. EU studies, innovation and regional studies scholars will appreciate the blend of empirical evidence and theory. It will also be useful to policy-makers in charge of innovation policies at regional as well as EU level. Contributors include: C. Ares, A. Arrona, B.T. Asheim, E. Baier, C.A.M. del Carmen Sanchez-Carreira, I. Dileo, J. Gancarczyk, M. Gancarczyk, M. Gonzalez-Lopez, R. Hassink, A. Isaksen, J. Karlsen, R.N.S.S. J.P. Knudsen, M. Larrea, F. Losurdo, M. Najda-Janoszka, O. Rodil-Marzabal, S. Strickert, M. Trippl, P. Varela-Vazquez, X. Vence-Deza, A. Zenker

Much of the debate on the future of work has focused on responses to technological trends in the Global North, with little evidence on how these trends are impacting work and workers in the Global South. Drawing on a rich selection of ethnographic studies of precarious work in Africa, this innovative book discusses how globalisation and digitalisation are drivers for structural change and examines their implications for labour. Bringing together global labour studies and inequality studies, it explores the role of digital technology in new business models, and ways in which digitalisation can be harnessed for counter mobilisation by the new worker.

'This elegantly written and very readable book can be highly recommended to scholars and students in regional science and economic geography alike. Those familiar with the wider discourse and contemporary debates will find this book a stimulating complement to the established repertoire on creativity and innovation while those just starting to explore these themes will experience this book as valuable introduction.' Melanie Fasche, Journal of Regional Science What is creativity and who exactly is creative? In this insightful and highly readable book, Gunnar Tornqvist attempts to answer these questions by arguing that geographical millieux are hotbeds for creativity and renewal - places where pioneers in art, technology and science have gathered and developed their special abilities. In light of ongoing social and economic transformations, special attention is paid to the institutional settings in firms and universities. The goal is to identify those features which facilitate and those which impede the creative process. Individual lives are illustrated through the autobiographies of hundreds of Nobel Laureates. Their life paths reveal the importance of geographic mobility and contact patterns for the development of creativity and international prestige. From these biographies we can also see how local millieux and schools have influenced many scientists. The Geography of Creativity will be of great benefit to academics and students in regional science, economic geography and economics.

A global blue economy is an economic arena that depends on the benefits and values realized from the coastal and marine environments. This book explains the "sustainable blue economy" as a marine-based economy that provides social and economic benefits for current and future generations. It restores, protects, and maintains the diversity, productivity, and resilience of marine ecosystems, and is based on clean technologies, renewable energy, and circular material flows.

The changes that Central European cities have undergone since 1989 deserve a complex, interdisciplinary analysis that offers deep insight into the specific nature of the transformation taking place in the region. This book presents a multidimensional and cross-disciplinary case study of Krakow, focusing on the changes taking place in Central Europe over the last three decades. This book answers the question of how the once neglected city of Krakow has transformed into a thriving global tourist destination, an attractive investment market, and a European leader of shared services. It examines political, socio-economic, cultural, and architectural development of the city against the ongoing processes of post-1989 political and economic transition, European integration, and globalisation. The authors offer a portrait of the evolution in thinking about the developmental resources of the city, accounting for what is broadly construed as culture and heritage. Whereas previous studies have offered only one-dimensional insights into these phenomena, this book highlights the specific characteristics of the transition and identifies the challenges typical of many cities in Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary, after the fall of communism. This book will be valuable reading for academics, researchers and postgraduate and PhD students of economic geography, urban studies, public management, political studies, sociology, culture and heritage management, and modern history, as well as those with an interest in Central European and transformation issues.

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of long-term changes in the car market of an emerging economy, with a focus on its spatial and temporal dimensions. Poland, the case study in question, represents a unique "laboratory of automobile revolution" during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The volume brings to the fore several key aspects of the car market, such as car ownership, markets for new cars, import of second-hand cars, car use, electromobility and environmental impact. Many of them are the subject of a global debate in the context of achieving sustainable development goals. Others, meanwhile, point to the unique nature of transformations related to the car market in Poland. Altogether, consideration of these aspects enriches the international literature with new results and findings that will broaden the field of discussion on the car market onto the emerging economies, especially those of Central and Eastern Europe. The book combines the results of quantitative and qualitative research. The former is based on a big data set (ca. 40 million vehicles) and the latter on an in-depth social survey (questionnaire interviews with more than 4,000 drivers). The discussion of the geography of automobile revolution is linked to other social, economic and spatial phenomena and processes (e.g. urban sprawl or rural marginalisation; consumer decisions and the evolution of quality of life; and the development of individual entrepreneurship or environmental protection), as well as to transport, tax and customs policies. The analysis of the dynamics of change pays particular attention to the role of "critical junctures", such as the collapse of the communist system, EU membership, the world financial crisis (2007-2009) and first period of COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021). The book will be of interest to scholars, students and practitioners dealing with transport research, geography of transportation, spatial economy, urban and regional planning and sustainability studies, and for car hobbyists.

Developments in recent decades have led to money and finance assuming unprecedented influence over almost every aspect of economic and social life. Making the case for a geography of money, this multidisciplinary Handbook argues it is necessary to think spatially about the constitution and expressions of money and financial systems in the wake of the 2007?-2008 Global Financial Crisis. High-quality, research-based contributions from leading international scholars illustrate how the operation and regulation of monetary and financial systems both shape and are shaped by local, national and global developments. Examining four key dimensions of this geography, they consider the different spaces of monetary relations and instabilities, how money and finance contribute to geographically uneven economic development, the regulatory spaces of money, and the emergence of alternative forms and circuits of finance outside the established banking system. Timely and discerning, this book will be of particular importance to geographers, political scientists, sociologists, economists and planners. It will also be of great interest to all those concerned with how money shapes and reshapes socio-economic space, as well as how it conditions local and regional development. Contributors: M.B. Aalbers, D.S. Bieri, D. Bryan, B. Christophers, G.L. Clark, J. Corpateaux, O. Crevoisier, K. Datta, A.D. Dixon, S. Doerry, G.A. Dymski, M. Gray, B. Klagge, J. Knox-Hayes, S. Koeppe, G. Marandola, R. Martin, P. North, P. O'Brien, L. Papi, A. Pike, M. Pilkington, J. Pollard, M. Pryke, M. Rafferty, L. Rethel, E. Sarno, B.A. Searle, M. Shabani, T.J. Sinclair, E. Slack, P. Sunley, T. Theurillat, T. Wainwright, D. Wigan, D. Wojcik, G. Yeung, A. Zazzaro, B. Zhang

The problems of today's Europe can be traced directly to the rewriting of the "rules of the economic game" that has taken place over several decades under the strong influence of neoliberalism. If Europe is to return to the innovative and dynamic economy it once had-and if there is to be shared prosperity, social solidarity and justice across Europe-the rules must be rewritten once again. With the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), Joseph E. Stiglitz lays out comprehensive programmes and policies designed to relieve the suffering of Europeans and restore a prosperous and equitable European Union.

This book addresses the social, political and economic turbulence in which the UK is embroiled. Drawing on Cultural Studies, it explores proliferating crises and conflicts, from the multiplying varieties of social dissent through the stagnation of rentier capitalism to the looming climate catastrophe. Examining arguments about Brexit, class and 'race', and the changing character of the state, the book is underpinned by a transnational and relational conception of the UK. It traces the entangled dynamics of time and space that have shaped the current conjuncture. Questioning whether increasingly anti-democratic and authoritarian strategies can provide a resolution to these troubles, it explores how the accumulating crises and conflicts have produced a deepening 'crisis of authority' that forms the terrain of the Battle for Britain.

Thoroughly updated and substantially extended, this internationally successful text explores transnational corporations (TNCs), their activities and effects, as well as the theories developed to explain them. Invaluable for courses as well as researchers in international business, international economics, globalization, international relations, economic geography and history of economic thought on the TNCs. Key features of this edition: A unique critical analysis of all the theories of TNCs in their historical context and with insightful commentaries at the end of each chapter, now extended to cover network theory and dynamic capabilities theory Clear exposition of concepts on the evolution and the activities of TNCs Analysis of effects of TNCs' activities on: innovation; labour; trade; balance of payments and the fiscal revenue of countries Discussions on new topics such as the digital TNCs and global value chains A contribution to the history of economic thought on the TNC Summary boxes as well as suggestions for further reading within each chapter give opportunities for discussion and extended learning. Ideal for advanced bachelors and masters courses in international business, economics, international relations, globalization and economic geography as well as the history of economic thought, Transnational Corporations and International Production is an essential text for appreciating the evolution, explanations and impact of TNCs in a globalised world.

The geography of innovation is changing. Firstly, it is increasingly understood that innovative firms and organizations exhibit a wide variety of strategies, each differently attuned to diverse geographic contexts. Secondly, and concomitantly, the idea that cities, clusters and physical proximity are essential for innovation is evolving under the weight of new theorizing and empirical evidence. The aim of this handbook is to break with the many ideas and concepts that emerged during the course of the 1980s and 1990s, and to fully take into account the new reality of the internet, mobile communication technologies, personal mobility and globalization. The handbook gathers a new generation of ideas and authors to contribute to the debate, providing an empirically grounded critical appraisal of the prevailing knowledge on the geography of innovation. The 28 original chapters, written by a diverse range of scholars with widely differing views, present fresh empirical evidence and new perspectives relating to how innovation plays out across space in an age where mobility has increased, information is ubiquitous and globalisation has been realised. Overall, the dialogue between existing theory and new possibilities provides a unique and challenging appraisal of the connection between innovation, agglomeration and space. Offering cutting edge ideas in an accessible format, this will be an ideal resource for students and scholars of economic geography and innovation studies. The empirical evidence and analysis will also be of great value for policymakers and government officials. Contributors include: B.T. Asheim, H.W. Aslesen, A. Bain, P.-A. Balland, N. Bradford, A. Bramwell, C. Brennan-Horley, S. Breschi, C. Carraincazeaux, C. Chaminade, R. Comunian, C. De Fuentes, D. Doloreux, D. Eckert, A. Faggian, M. Ferru, R.D. Fitjar, K. Flanagan, C. Gibson, M. Grillitsch, M. Grossetti, G. Harirchi, F. Huber, A. Isaksen, S. Jewel, J. Karlsen, N. Komninos, J.-L. Klein, N. Lee, F. Lissoni, M. Maisonobe, J. Mattes, P. McCann, C.T. Noumedem, R. Ortega-Argiles, M. Plechero, A. Rallet, A. Rodriguez-Pose, R. Shearmur, H.L. Smith, B. Spigel, J. Tallec, E. Tranos, D.-G. Tremblay, F. Toedtling, M. Trippl, E. Uyarra, C. Yang, C. Wilkie, D.A. Wolfe

The Russian Far North is immensely rich in resources, both energy and other resources, and is also one of the least developed regions of Russia. This book presents a comprehensive overview of the region. It examines resource issues and the related environmental problems, considers the Arctic and the problems of sea routes, maritime boundaries and military build-up, assesses economic development, and considers the ethnic peoples of the region and also cultural and artistic subjects. Overall, the book provides a rich appraisal of how the region is likely to develop in future.

Within the European context of innovation for growth, public and corporate actors are faced with pressing questions concerning innovation policy and the return on public and private investment in innovation at the regional level. To help them answer these questions, researchers in the field of Geography of Innovation propose interesting developments and new perspectives for the analysis of localized innovation processes, interactions between science, technology and industry, and their impact on regional growth and competitiveness, offering new foundations for designing and evaluating public policies. The aim of this book is firstly to highlight major recent methodological advances in the Geography of Innovation, particularly concerning the measurement of spatial knowledge externalities and their impact on agglomeration effects. Strategic approaches using microeconomic data have also contributed to showing how firms' strategies may interact with the local environment and impact upon agglomeration dynamics. Interesting new results emerge from the application of these new methodologies to the analysis of innovation dynamics in European regions and this book shows how they can help revisit some of the main tenets of received wisdom concerning the rationale and impact of public policies on the Geography of Innovation. This book was previously published as a special issue of Regional Studies.

'This book represents a major contribution to our thinking about modern manufacturing industries - and is not just timely, it is long overdue! The authors have done an outstanding job in bringing to bear a range of multi-disciplinary perspectives on a domain which all too often suffers from rather narrow disciplinary analyses. Ranging from engineering to social science and drawing on examples from the US, Europe and Asia, the book provides not only a wealth of fact and illustration but a rich landscape to inform those charged with industrial policy and manufacturing strategies.' - From the foreword by Sir Mike Gregory, University of Cambridge, UK The Handbook of Manufacturing Industries in the World Economy provides a critical and multi-disciplinary state-of-the-art review and analysis of current manufacturing processes, practices and policies. Expanding our knowledge and understanding of production and innovation, this volume demonstrates that manufacturing continues to matter in the world economy. The contributors, including scholars ranging from engineering to policy to economic geography, cover manufacturing policy and the revival of the industrial base in the US, UK and Canada, and engage national and regional strategies for implementing advanced manufacturing policies. Questions of economic resilience in the wake of the recent recession are asked, and industry and firm case studies are utilised in an international comparative context. Applying a wide range of international cases from the US, EU, Australia and Asia, this approach allows readers to view transformations in production systems and processes across sectors, technologies and industries. Students, scholars and policymakers in the fields of public policy, economic geography, city and regional planning, and business and management will find this collection invaluable in understanding how firms and industries adapt, through dynamic and design-driven strategies, to produce for established and emerging markets. Contributors: M.A. Brown, J.R. Bryson, S. Christopherson, J. Clark, M. Cowell, M. Doussard, D.M. Drake, C.G. Drury, A. Dugenske, M. Feldman, P.L. Forrester, C. Gibson, P.V. Hall, Y. Hansen, C. Harris, P. Jalette, R.V. Kalafsky, W.C. Kessler, G. Kim, D.F. Kogler, L. Lanahan, F. Livesey, N.J. Lowe, L. McCormick, R. Mulhall, S. Ock Park, P. Pavlinek, J. Provo, M. Ronayne, G. Schrock, C.D.Treado, V. Vanchan, S. Walcott, B. Wang, M. Ward, A. Warren, S. Weller, L. Winther, L. Wolf-Powers

This timely Handbook addresses one of the most pertinent questions of the 21st century: why are some regions more economically resilient than others? Contributors provide a state-of-the-art collection on the meaning of resilience when applied to regional economies, offering a range of methodological approaches and rich empirical analyses of regions around the world. Chapters feature in depth examinations of regional resilience in such fields as policy practice, exports, economic shocks and supranational structural funds. Giving readers an insight into ways in which economic resilience is measured, this Handbook explores key theoretical debates and emerging pathways for the application of resilience in policy and practice. Comprehensive and deeply informative, this Handbook is crucial to researchers working in economic geography and regional studies who require insight into the breadth of debate on regional economic resilience. Practitioners and policy makers working in regional economic development will also benefit from its broad empirical approach to resilience. Contributors include: P. Benczur, E. Beqiraj, G. Bristow, J. Courvisanos, M. Cowell, G. Di Bartolomeo, P. di Caro, M. Di Pietro, D. Diodato, E. Evenhuis, R. Hassink, A. Healy, X. Hu, A. Jain, E. Joosens, T. Kitsos, A.R. Manca, K.R. Mardaneh, R. Martin, B. Menyhert, N. Pontarollo, Y. Psycharis, C. Serpieri, P. Sunley, V. Tselios, M. Tsiapa, J. Vincente, A. Weterings, S. Zec

Gendering Postsocialism explores changes in gendered norms and expectations in Eastern Europe and Eurasia after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The dismantlement of state socialism in these regions triggered monumental shifts in their economic landscape, the involvement of their welfare states in social citizenship and, crucially, their established gender norms and relations, all contributing to the formation of the postsocialist citizen. Case studies examine a wide range of issues across 15 countries of the post-Soviet era. These include gender aspects of the developments in education in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Hungary, controversies around abortion legislation in Poland, migrant women and housing as a gendered problem in Russia, challenges facing women's NGOs in Bosnia, and identity formation of unemployed men in Lithuania. This close analysis reveals how different variations of neoliberal ideology, centred around the notion of the self-reliant and self-determining individual, have strongly influenced postsocialist gender identities, whilst simultaneously showing significant trends for a "retraditionalising" of gender norms and expectations. This volume suggests that despite integration with global political and free market systems, the postsocialist gendered subject combines strategies from the past with those from contemporary ideologies to navigate new multifaceted injustices around gender in Eastern Europe and Eurasia.

Smart specialisation is the new policy approach to the development of regional innovation systems across Europe and it involves fostering innovative and entrepreneurial initiatives which are well tailored to the local context. The different technologies, skills profiles, business activities, institutions and sectors which reflect a region's economic strengths and potential are to be fostered and encouraged to diversify in ways which also exploit the region's linkages with broader global value-chains. Yet, the ideas contained in the smart specialisation agenda have until now been primarily conceptual in nature. The Empirical and Institutional Dimensions of Smart Specialisation draws together some of the leading regional economists and scientists in Europe to analyse how smart specialisation is working in practice. This book investigates different dimensions of the agenda as it is developing across parts of Europe from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives. The quantitative analysis examines the nature of the diversification processes undertaken by regions and the interplay between the chosen local regional development priorities and the wider global value-chain impacts of these choices. Meanwhile, the qualitative analysis examines the institutional opportunities and challenges facing policy makers and the key elements most likely to provide the underpinnings of a workable set of policy settings. The book is aimed both at academic researchers interested in the interface between economic geography and regional innovation systems as well as at policy makers making public policy decisions related to regional development at the local, city, regional or national levels.

This timely book offers important new insights into the boundaries between political and financial geographies, focusing on the links between the changing strategies, policies and institutions of the state. It investigates banks and other financial institutions affected by both state policies and a globalizing financial system, and the financial resources available to firms as well as households. In so doing, the book highlights how an empirical focus on the semi-periphery of the financial system may generate new perspectives on the entanglement between geopolitics and finance. Chapters explore a range of place-specific relations, highlighting the impact of state-led reforms, the importance of models, innovation and adaptation to local conditions, and bank intermediation. Conceptually, the book engages with insights from a variety of disciplines in order to explore the connections between geo-political and geo-economic discourses, public finance and foreign policy, the practices and localization of financial institutions, and the evolution of strategies for globalizing firms. Political and financial geographers will find this book to be a compelling read, as it sheds new light on the semi-periphery, which is often overlooked in studies addressing the global financial system. Economic policy-makers working on the nexus between politics, finance and development will also benefit from reading this book. Contributors include: S. Ageeva, G. Battisti, F. Betioli Contel, S. Grandi, J. Jafri, G. Lim, A. Mishura, T.T. Nguyen, M. Percoco, U. Rosati, C. Sellar, E. Stavrova, E. Yilmaz

Britain was once the leading economy in Europe; it is now the most unequal. In Shattered Nation, leading geographer and author of Inequality and the 1% shows that we are growing further and further apart. Visiting sites across the British Isles and exploring the social fissures that have emerged, Danny Dorling exposes a new geography of inequality. Middle England has been hit hard by the cost-of-living crisis, and even people doing comparatively well are struggling to stay afloat. Once affluent suburbs are now unproductive places where opportunity has been replaced by food banks. Before COVID, life expectancy had dropped as a result of poverty for the first time since the 1930s. Fifty years ago the UK led the world in child health; today, twenty-two of the twenty-seven EU countries have better mortality rates for newborns. No other European country has such miserly unemployment benefits; university fees so high; housing so unaffordable; or a government economically so far to the right. In the spirit of the 1942 Beveridge Report, Dorling identifies the five giants of twenty-first-century poverty that need to be conquered: Hunger, Precarity, Waste, Exploitation, and Fear. He offers powerful insights into how we got here and what we must do in order to save Britain from becoming a failed state.

National competitiveness has become a misnomer, as competitiveness is increasingly understood as a regional phenomenon and regions are not confined to the boundaries of the nation state. This book focuses on the Port of Rotterdam and its hinterland - i.e. the Lower Rhine and the Ruhr area. A transnational perspective is imperative to understand the historical trajectories of the port, the hinterland and the region itself. This book brings geography and the transnational study of regions back into the historical discipline, linking places to larger geographical scales and to systems of production and consumption and the global chains in which they are organised. This book will be of interest to scholars and practitioners in urban studies, urban planning, public policy, geography and political science.

A desire for intimacy in domestic spaces - motivated by a growing sense of individualistic expression, an incentive to conceal the labor or enslavement taking place, and an appetite for solace and comfort - led to interiors taking on more specific roles in the eighteenth century. By examining the architectural, visual, and material culture of eighteenth-century spaces, Intimate Interiors foregrounds the interrelated concepts of intimacy, privacy, informality, and sociability in order to show how these ideas played an increasingly integral role in the period's architectural and material design. Across eleven innovative chapters that explore issues of gender, politics, travel, exoticism, imperialism, sensorial experiences, identity, interiority, and modernity, this volume demonstrates how intimacy was a fundamental goal in the planning of private quarters. In doing so, the political nature of private spaces is uncovered, whilst highlighting the contradictions and complexities of these highly performative "private" interiors. Employing distinct methodological perspectives across various geographical sites, from Turkey to Versailles, Britain to Benin, Intimate Interiors draws as-yet untraced connections between Enlightenment Europe, imperial outposts, and major metropolitan centers across the globe.

Focusing on the geographies between the Mekong and the Indus, this book brings objects to the centre of enquiry in the understanding of modern Asian frontiers. It explores how a range of objects have historically been significant bearers and agents of frontier making. For instance, how are objects connected to aspects of state making, social change, everyday life, diplomacy, political and ecological worlds, capital, forms of violence, resistances, circulations, and aesthetic expressions? This book seeks to interrogate and understand the dynamism of frontiers from the vantage point of objects such as salt, rubber, tea, guns, silk scarves, horses, and opium. It attempts to explore objects as sites of encounter, mediation, or dislocation between the social and the spatial. The book not only locates objects in the specificities of frontier spaces, but it also looks at how they are produced, circulated, and come to be intricately linked to a wide range of people, institutions, networks, and geographies. In the process, it explores how objects traverse and come to inhabit multiple historical, cultural, and geographical scales. This book will be of interest to researchers and academics working in areas of history, social and cultural anthropology, Asian studies, frontiers and borderland studies, cultural studies, political and economic studies, and museum studies.

The rapidly changing structure of urban social and economic activity in recent years has given rise to a great deal of concern regarding the fate of that area of the city where economic activity is chiefly concentrated: the central business district (CBD). This book, a geographic study of the changing nature of CBDs, represents a concise, well-ordered, and readable attempt to deal with that concern. Written by a widely known authority on the subject, it provides a comprehensive summary and analysis of much of the research done on CBDs over the past two decades and establishes many striking generalizations regarding the past, present and future evolutions of CBDs, both in this country and abroad.

Using maps and diagrams where helpful, Murphy, a pioneer researcher in this field from the standpoint of economic geography, provides the record of his own and others' attempts to define CBDs and to develop theories about them. He not only presents the story of the research attack on the CBDs of a number of cities, including estimates of their probable future, but also details a practicable technique for delimiting and studying CBDs.

An important feature of the book is the attention Murphy devotes to the valuable work done in this field outside America, and his examples, which fully cover the American experience, are by no means confined to it, taking in important urban centres throughout the world. This book, intended for anyone interested in the urban scene, will be particularly helpful to students and teachers of urban geography and to practicing urban planners.

"Raymond E. Murphy" received his B.S. from the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, and his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin. He has taught at the University of Kentucky, Pennsylvania State University, and for many years in the Graduate School of Geography at Clark University, Massachusetts. He has contributed numerous articles to geographical literature and is the author of several books. He was also editor of "Economic Geography."