A revised and updated edition of the leading introductory text on economic geography.

The third edition of "Lectures on Modern Economic Geography," an engaging and accessible book that introduces the various ways economic geographers understand, analyze, and interpret economic processes, has been published.
The publication of this third edition, following the first edition in 2007 and the second edition in 2013, signifies that this book has established itself as a leading introductory text to economic geography.
Unlike conventional intellectual history or academic debates, this comprehensive text examines hot-button issues related to modern economic life, from the activities of transnational corporations to issues surrounding the workplace and consumption, through a geographical lens.
For example, it explores how things like spatial patterns, places, networks, and territories shape large-scale economic processes.

The authors do not believe that they are preoccupied with geography as an academic discipline or even require prior knowledge of the field.
Therefore, relatively little time is devoted to reflecting on the history of economic geography as an academic discipline, and all chapters reflect the modern economy in which people live and work around the world.
This third edition retains the features and topics that have made it popular with students and teachers alike, while also adding interesting reference material.
New chapters examine how the global economy and international development are institutionalized and governed, economic geography in the context of climate change, economic practices in capitalist blind spots, the role of migrants in labor markets, and global production networks.

Reflecting the diverse thematic and theoretical approaches of contemporary economic geography, lecturers will recognize that political-economic and institutional approaches underpin much of the book, but they will also find a serious commitment to poststructuralist thinking and an exploration of the economic implications of culture and identity.


This revised Lectures on Modern Economic Geography will be a valuable source of up-to-date knowledge for both academic and general readers interested in modern economic geography, as well as for students new to the field, by introducing economic geography through a topic-oriented approach that includes key concepts, current debates, and case studies.

There are a few items that appear in university classrooms around the world.
(Omitted) It would be a disposable plastic water bottle purchased from a convenience store, supermarket, or vending machine.
Most of this water would have been bottled locally by subsidiaries of giant multinational corporations.
Some of them may have been transported considerable distances from France, Norway, New Zealand, Fiji and Canada.
--- p.18, from “Chapter 1 Geography - How do we think spatially?”

Even the most expensive municipal water costs are a fraction of the price of bottled water to consumers.
According to some estimates, bottled water is sold for between 240 and 10,000 times the price of tap water, depending on price range and where it is purchased.
This seems especially unfair, given that many bottled water brands use tap water as their raw material.
--- p.25, from “Chapter 1 Geography - How Do We Think Spatially?”

However, many brands of bottled water in the United States use tap water from local governments, not groundwater, as their water source.
In such cases, bottling facilities may be located anywhere the local water utility is willing to enter into a supply agreement with a bottled water manufacturer.
Then, it is easier to locate near places with concentrated demand, such as metropolitan areas.
Because bottled water is a bulky and heavy (and therefore expensive) commodity to transport, there is significant incentive to locate near major markets.
This would explain why some concentrations occur near densely populated areas, such as New York City and the Northeastern urban corridor, Chicago in the Midwest, and Los Angeles in Southern California, as shown in Figure 1.4 (page 27).

--- p.27, from “Chapter 1 Geography - How do we think spatially?”