The New Introduction to Geographical Economics

Brakman, Steven
Steven Brakman is Professor of Economics at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands.Garretsen, Harry
Harry Garretsen is Professor of International Economics and Business at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands.van Marrewijk, Charles
Charles van Marrewijk is Professor of International Macroeconomics at Utrecht University School of Economics (since 2008) and Director of the Tjalling Charles Koopmans Institute (since 2009). He studied horticulture and worked as a grower before studying economics in Holland at Erasmus University Rotterdam (1981-5, BA and MA) and in the United States at Purdue University (1985-8, M.Sc. and Ph.D.). He worked at the University of Groningen (1987-90) and at Erasmus University Rotterdam (1990-2008), where he was also Academic Director of the Institute of Housing and Urban Development Studies (2007-8). His research focuses on international economics, geographical economics, economic growth, development economics, and urban economics. He is currently the European editor of The Journal of International Trade and Economic Development and associate editor of the Journal of Regional Science. He has organized several international conferences and served as a guest editor for various special issues of the above two journals. His research output is widely cited and has appeared in many top (field) journals, including the Journal of International Economics, the Journal of Development Economics, the Journal of Economic Geography, the International Economic Review, the Journal of Economics and Management Strategy, Oxford Economic Papers, Economica, the International Journal of Industrial Organization, the Journal of Population Economics, and the Journal of Regional Science. He has also (co-)authored ten books, eight of which were published either by Cambridge University Press or Oxford University Press (of which two were translated into Chinese).

Geographical economics starts from the observation that economic activity is clearly not randomly distributed across space. This revised and updated introduction to geographical economics uses the modern tools of economic theory to explain the who, why and where of the location of economic activity. The text provides an integrated, first-principles introduction to geographical economics for advanced undergraduate students and first-year graduate students, and has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect important developments in the field, including new chapters on alternative core models and policy implications. It presents a truly global analysis of issues in geographical economics using case studies from all over the world, including North America, Europe, Africa and Australasia, and contains many computer simulations and end-of chapter exercises to encourage learning and understanding through application.

This revised and updated introduction to geographical economics explains the who, why and where of the location of economic activity.

List of figures; List of tables; List of boxes; List of technical notes; Preface to the new edition; Part I. Introduction: 1. A first look at geography, trade, and development; 2. Geography and economic theory; Part II. Core Models and Empirical Evidence: 3. The core model of geographical economics; 4. Beyond the core model: solutions, simulations and extensions; 5. Agglomeration, the home market effect and spatial wages; 6. Shocks, free-ness of trade, and stability; Part III. Applications and Extensions: 7. Cities and congestion: economies of scale, urban systems and Zipf's Law; 8. Agglomeration and international business; 9. The structure of international trade; 10. Dynamics, growth and geography; Part IV. Policy and Evaluation: 11. The policy implications of geographical economics; 12. Criticism and the value added of geographical economics; References; Index.