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The Capitalist Imperative: Territory, Technology and Industrial Growth
Why do cities, regions and nations experience periods of pronounced growth and decline? Why have the world's centres of economic activity been continually reshuffled as the industrial revolution has spread to new parts of the globe?
This book demonstrates that under capitalism, the process central to growth is geographical industrialization, and that the creation and use of territory is fundamental to economic development. In doing so, they make new contributions to the study of growth theory, industrial economics, technological change, industrial organization, labour market, urban and regional development, and theoretical human geography. Beginning with the economics of disequilibrium growth, the authors reveal the technological, organizational and political foundations of industrialization, and conclude by showing that the territorial forms that industry takes are central to the shape and survival of capitalism itself.
This book demonstrates that under capitalism, the process central to growth is geographical industrialization, and that the creation and use of territory is fundamental to economic development. In doing so, they make new contributions to the study of growth theory, industrial economics, technological change, industrial organization, labour market, urban and regional development, and theoretical human geography. Beginning with the economics of disequilibrium growth, the authors reveal the technological, organizational and political foundations of industrialization, and conclude by showing that the territorial forms that industry takes are central to the shape and survival of capitalism itself.
- GenresGeography
291 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1989
48 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 31, 2014
A. Summary: The central question is--Why do cities, regions, and nations experience periods of both growth and decline? Answer--Under capitalism, the process central to growth is geographical industrialization and the creation and use of territory is fundamental to economic development. This book attempts to build an analytical framework for understanding the geography of economic development (industrialization)
B. Geographic Industrialization
1. An example is the rise of the computer industry in Silicon Valley. The shift from the Eastern center of electronics to the West coast.
2. There are 4 stages of GI:
a) Localization: Industries localize around each other in a specific area
b) Clustering: Within these areas certain clusters or groups advance quicker than others
c) Dispersal: From these cluster areas some of the production is dispersed outside the industrial center
d) Shifting center: Radical new industries with distinctive product lines take up new locations in previously non-industrialized areas. These shifts often usher in new “regimes of capitalistic accumulation”
3. There are 3 dimensions of GI:
a) Expansion: The industries are always spatially expanding
b) Instability: Economic status of cities and regions are unstable over time
c) Differentiation: The regions within each country are often very different from each other
C. Technological change and GI
1. Technology is defined as the art of transforming nature to human ends (knowledge, equipment, practices)
2. Industrialization itself is technologically structured shaping all 4 stages of GI. (Technological determinism)
3. Conversely, geographical differences and place-based practices shape the technology itself (social shaping of technology)
4. What role does technology play in the 3 dimensions of GI?
a) Expansion: This is often possible because of new technical opportunities
b) Instability: The previous centers of industry are usually less able to handle new technology
c) Differentiation: Different technological practices are possible even within the same industrial locales
5. Therefore, there is technological determinism here but it is filtered through the human factors in capitalistic production
B. Geographic Industrialization
1. An example is the rise of the computer industry in Silicon Valley. The shift from the Eastern center of electronics to the West coast.
2. There are 4 stages of GI:
a) Localization: Industries localize around each other in a specific area
b) Clustering: Within these areas certain clusters or groups advance quicker than others
c) Dispersal: From these cluster areas some of the production is dispersed outside the industrial center
d) Shifting center: Radical new industries with distinctive product lines take up new locations in previously non-industrialized areas. These shifts often usher in new “regimes of capitalistic accumulation”
3. There are 3 dimensions of GI:
a) Expansion: The industries are always spatially expanding
b) Instability: Economic status of cities and regions are unstable over time
c) Differentiation: The regions within each country are often very different from each other
C. Technological change and GI
1. Technology is defined as the art of transforming nature to human ends (knowledge, equipment, practices)
2. Industrialization itself is technologically structured shaping all 4 stages of GI. (Technological determinism)
3. Conversely, geographical differences and place-based practices shape the technology itself (social shaping of technology)
4. What role does technology play in the 3 dimensions of GI?
a) Expansion: This is often possible because of new technical opportunities
b) Instability: The previous centers of industry are usually less able to handle new technology
c) Differentiation: Different technological practices are possible even within the same industrial locales
5. Therefore, there is technological determinism here but it is filtered through the human factors in capitalistic production
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March 27, 2023Stroz
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