Reframing deindustrialization

ABSTRACT

Mapping and analysing the processes of deindustrialization is core to the project of regional economic development and arguably, economic geography. The evolution in the field itself often follows an iterative path adding insights on specific regions and industries that have a long history at the core of regional economic analyses. Students are trained in the field by conducting empirical work – data collection and original analysis – on the experiences of regions and industries as they work through industrial transformations. Canonical articles on iconic industries have become the shared language of this multidisciplinary field focused on the spatial distribution of economic activity and how (and why) it changes over time. This article comments on Andy Pike's recent ‘Coping with Deindustrialization in the Global North and Global South’ which shifts our attention back to theorizing deindustrialization rather than simply documenting it.

KEYWORDS:

• Deindustrialization
• economic geography
• regional development
• industrial restructuring

This article refers to:

Coping with deindustrialization in the global North and South

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).