Geographical economics or economic geography?

Abstract

This paper deliberately polarises two broad approaches to economic geography. Geographical economics seeks to build a spatial dimension into broad theories of economic development and change, while economic geography represents the traditional geographer's approach which is focused on descriptions of the spatial distribution of economic activity. The paper argues that the latter approach continues to over‐emphasise neoclassical location theory and, thus, narrow analytical economic theory. This may account for the subject's apparent unpopularity with students, a problem which may be countered by the presentation of a more broadly based political economy approach to ‘economics’ issues at the outset of a geography degree programme.

Keywords:

• Economic geography
• economics
• theory