World Economy, The

Description

Dr. Frederick P. Stutz is Emeritus Professor of Geography at San Diego State University. He received his Ph.D. at Michigan State University, his M.A. at Northwestern University, and B.A. at Valparaiso University. His research interests include Urban Traveler Behavior, GIS Disaster Evacuation of City Traffic, and U.S.-Mexican Border Area Travel Needs Assessment. He is currently working on a project involving Energy and Travel Sustainability—Space-Time Utility Measures for Urban Travel Purposes.

Barney Warf is Professor of Geography at the University of Kansas. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Washington in 1985. His current areas of research are political economy, social theory, producer services, financial markets, telecommunications, the geography of cyberspace, military spending, and international trade. He has authored or edited 5 books, 2 encyclopedias, and 100 journal articles.

• Historical treatment of capitalism includes the origins and the processes by which capitalism has expanded over the world. This treatment helps students understand contemporary issues in the long-term context in which the global economy developed, and “denaturalize” capitalism, showing it to be one of many possible socio-economic systems.
• Contemporary theoretical issues, including political economy, are introduced and applied to current world economic developmental problems.
• Extensive treatment of service economy acknowledges that services are by far the largest category of economic activity in the world today, and includes explanations of their growth and impacts.  
• In-depth analysis of globalization and international trade and investment is presented, along with the implications for regional growth and development, all supported with current charts and figures.
• Real-world examples are provided throughout the text. Recent economic and geopolitical changes are portrayed vividly in a series of full-color maps and photographs, which demonstrate the workings of economic geography and the world economy.

This comprehensive text explores contemporary geographic topics and perspectives relating to the world economy. The authors provide a strong theoretical and practical foundation for understanding the global economy in an era of shifting borders, restructuring economies, and regional realignments. Economic theory is combined with geography to address critical problems of growth, distribution, and development, along with their impact on international business. Recent geopolitical changes are vividly portrayed in a series of superb full-color maps and striking photographs. The Sixth Edition includes updated tables and data, color maps, 2009 economic statistics, a detailed analysis of the global shift in world trade and development, eleven new Case Studies, and a new Premium Website with videos, weblinks, RSS feeds, and quizzes.

• Traditional aspects of economic geography that are largely considered out of date are now de-emphasized.
• Reduced emphasis on the United States allows for greater exploration of other regions such as the European community and the developing world, especially the BRICS: Brazil, Russia, India, and China.
• Tables and data throughout the text are updated—by far the most comprehensive of any textbook on the world economy and economic geography.
• Population data is updated throughout. Discussion of Malthusianism is enhanced, and coverage of the baby boom is discussed, showing the perilous tension between the reduction of consumption (which drives the economy) and the increase in the cost of aging through entitlement and health care costs.
• Discussion of the Weber model is streamlined in the book’s theoretical coverage.
• Revised agriculture coverage eliminates discussion on origins of agriculture, reorganizes material on pre-industrial agriculture, and removes the material on the Von Thunen model.
• Revised discussion of manufacturing streamlines coverage of U.S. manufacturing substantially, and enhances coverage of the causes of deindustrialization. Discussion of the global shift of manufacturing to the developing world is included.
• Updated coverage of services eliminates discussions of productivity debate and technological change, adds a short section on the 2007-09 financial crisis, and enhances discussion of tourism.
• Streamlined coverage of transportation and communications shortens discussion of the technicalities of transportation costs and aspects of communications technologies. The authors eliminate coverage of transit time, transport of nuclear wastes, and intelligent vehicle highways. Internet data in this area has been updated throughout.
• Revised coverage of cities & urban economies adds a section on urban division of labor. Material on the rise of cities, traditional social ecology, and population density gradients has been removed, and discussion of residential choice has been streamlined.
• Updated material on international trade and investment expands arguments in favor of protectionism and removes the section on globalization and business cycles.
• End-of-chapter material throughout has been revised and updated, including recommended readings and websites, key terms, and study questions, Powerpoint presentations of lecture material, and Jpegs and PDF files of  all tables and most figures.
• Eleven New Case Studies provide relevant applications to add additional context and exploration of the chapter concepts, set aside so as not to interrupt the main flow of the chapter narrative:

• • Chapter 2: Historical Development Railroads and Geography

  • Chapter 3: Population and Land Degradation

  • Chapter 4: Wind Energy

  • Chapter 6: Agro-Foods

  • Chapter 7: Export Processing Zones

  • Chapter 8: Medical Tourism – Discusses globalization of medical

  • Chapter 9: Chinese Internet Censorship

  • Chapter 10: Environmental Impacts of Cities

  • Chapter 11: Commodity Chains

  • Chapter 12: North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

  • Chapter 14: Remittances

• A new Premium Website at www.mygeoscienceplace.com The new edition is supported by a premium web site, accommodating instructor’s need for a variety of teaching resources to match this dynamic discipline. Modules include:

• • New geography videos (from TVE’s Earth Report and Life series)

  • RSS Feeds of current news related to chapter topics.

  • Web links and references

  • Google Earth tours

  • Quizzes

  • Lecture Powerpoints

This comprehensive text explores contemporary geographic topics and perspectives relating to the world economy. The authors provide a strong theoretical and practical foundation for understanding the global economy in an era of shifting borders, restructuring economies, and regional realignments. Economic theory is combined with geography to address critical problems of growth, distribution, and development, along with their impact on international business. Recent geopolitical changes are vividly portrayed in a series of superb full-color maps and striking photographs. The Sixth Edition includes updated tables and data, color maps, 2009 economic statistics, a detailed analysis of the global shift in world trade and development, eleven new Case Studies, and a new Premium Website with videos, weblinks, RSS feeds, and quizzes.

Brief Contents

Additional information