Economic Geography is an internationally peer-reviewed journal, committed to publishing cutting-edge research that makes theoretical advances to the discipline. Our long-standing specialization is to publish the best theoretically-based empirical articles that deepen the understanding of significant economic geography issues around the world. Owned by Clark University since 1925, Economic Geography actively supports scholarly activities of economic geographers. Economic Geography is published quarterly in January, April, July, and October.

Editorial

Journal Articles

Roepke Lecture in Economic Geography -- Regional Context and Global Trade
Michael Storper, Page 1
Abstract | Complete Article

Family Types and the Persistence of Regional Disparities in Europe
Gilles Duranton, Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, and Richard Sandall, Page 23
Abstract | Complete Article

Organizational Challenges and Strategic Responses of Retail TNCs in Post-WTO-Entry China
Wance Tacconelli and Neil Wrigley, Page 49
Abstract | Complete Article

The Rise of a Global Infrastructure Market Through Relational Investing
Morag Torrance, Page 75
Abstract | Complete Article

BOOK REVIEWS

Politics and Practice in Economic Geography, edited by Adam Tickell, Eric Sheppard, Jamie Peck, and Trevor Barnes
Michael Webber, Page 99
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The Warhol Economy: How Fashion, Art, and Music Drive New York City, by Elizabeth Currid
Dominic Power, Page 101
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Remaking Regional Economies: Power, Labor, and Firm Strategies in the Knowledge Economy, by Susan Christopherson and Jennifer Clark
James W. Harrington, Jr., Page 103
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Development on the Ground: Clusters, Networks and Regions in Emerging Economies, edited by Allen J. Scott and Gioacchino Garofoli
Yong-Sook Lee, Page 105
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Regional Knowledge Economies: Markets, Clusters and Innovation, by Philip Cooke, Carla De Laurentis, Franz Tödtling, and Michaela Trippl
Jerker Moodysson, Page 107
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La Vía Campesina: Globalization and the Power of Peasants, by Annette Aurélie Desmarais
Tom Perreault, Page 109
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Marxist Perspectives on South Korea in the Global Economy, edited by Martin Hart-Landsberg, Seongjin Jeong, and Richard Westra
Bongman Seo, Page 111
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The Sustainability Development Paradox: Urban Political Economy in the United States and Europe, edited by Rob Krueger and David Gibbs
Mark Bjelland, Page 113
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Competing for Knowledge: Creating, Connecting, and Growing, by Robert Huggins and Hiro Izushi
Oliver Ibert, Page 115
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ABSTRACTS

Roepke Lecture in Economic Geography -- Regional Context and Global Trade, by Michael Storper

Abstract: How should we think of the role of regions in relation to the global economy? Theory has surprising gaps when it comes to building a unified vision of these two scales of development. Two contributions to such a vision are proposed in this article. First, the relationship between geographic concentration and the regional economic specialization it underpins and globalization should be theorized as a dynamic process. Standard location and trade theory is not adequate for this task; instead, the dynamic relationship can be captured through growth theory. But capturing this dynamic relationship requires correcting growth theory to separate its local and its global components, which are, respectively, Marshall-Arrow and Romer externalities. Second, the missing element in all theories of geographic concentration and locally specialized development is an element labeled "context" here. A theory of context, in turn, raises important new questions about the dynamic welfare and developmental effects of contemporary processes of fragmenting and relocating production at a global scale.

Key words: innovation diffusion, growth theory, MAR externalities, global trade, context, behavioral economics.

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Family Types and the Persistence of Regional Disparities in Europe, by Gilles Duranton, Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, and Richard Sandall

Abstract: This article examines the association between one of the most basic institutional forms, the family, and a series of demographic, educational, social, and economic indicators across regions in Europe. Using Emmanuel Todd's classification of medieval European family systems, we identify potential links between family types and regional disparities in household size, educational attainment, social capital, labor participation, sectoral structure, wealth, and inequality. The results indicate that medieval family structures seem to have influenced European regional disparities in virtually every indicator that we considered. That these links remain, despite the influence of the modern state and population migration, suggests that such structures are either extremely resilient or in the past were internalized within other social and economic institutions as they developed.

Key words: institutions, family types, education, social capital, labor force participation, economic wealth and dynamism, regions, Europe.

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Organizational Challenges and Strategic Responses of Retail TNCs in Post-WTO-Entry China, by Wance Tacconelli and Neil Wrigley

Abstract: In the context of a market characterized by the enduring legacy of socialism through governmental ownership of retail businesses, the continued presence of domestic retailers, and increasing levels of competition, this article examines the organizational challenges faced by, and the strategic responses adopted by, a group of leading food and general merchandise retail transnational corporations (TNCs) in developing networks of stores in the post-WTO-entry Chinese market. On the basis of extensive interview-based fieldwork conducted in China from 2006 to 2008, the article details the attempts of these retail TNCs to embed their operations in Chinese logistics and supply networks, real estate markets, and consumer cultures -- three dimensions that are fundamental to the achievement of market competitiveness by the retail TNCs. The article illustrates how this process of territorial embeddedness presents major challenges for the retail TNCs and how their strategic responses vary substantially, indicating different routes to the achievement of organizational legitimacy in host markets. The article concludes by offering an analysis of the various strategic responses that the retail TNCs have adopted in China and by suggesting some future research propositions on the globalization of the retail industry.

Key words: retail transnational corporations, territorial embeddedness, organizational challenges, strategic responses, institutional changes, China.

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The Rise of a Global Infrastructure Market Through Relational Investing, by Morag Torrance

Abstract: Infrastructure assets around the world are shifting from public to private ownership. This article investigates how institutional investors are investing beyond their traditional financial and geographic borders and are increasingly serving as owners of infrastructure assets. It shows how infrastructure assets have specific geographies of information embedded in their investment returns and discusses the growing interest of institutional investors in investing in the infrastructure landscape. While infrastructure investments are considered globally, opportunities depend on the availability of specialist information in the region of investment. The article demonstrates that the low-risk, geographically varied returns match the diversification objectives of pension fund portfolios. Relational investing is important in implementing strategies for investing in the infrastructure, since the bidding on and ensuing ownership and management of infrastructure assets around the world require a combination of financial, legal, and technical expertise. The article addresses three distinct economic geography literatures: the geography of finance, pension fund research, and emerging debates on "relational geometries."

Key words: infrastructure, institutional investors, geographies of information, investment process, relational investing.

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