The Global Economy

Today’s economy is increasingly global, as business functions are dispersed across many diverse spaces and at different spatial scales. In this course we will gain an understanding of the forces that combine to shape contemporary economies across space through an examination of both theoretical approaches to economic geography as well as empirical case studies. Students in the course will learn: neoclassical theories from economic geography that describe the spatial distribution of various economic activities at a local scale; how regional economies develop over time and gain/lose competitive advantage; and the origins of globalization and different strategies corporations use to expand into different areas. This course will combine lectures, hands-on exercises, and discussions/debates so that students have the opportunity to engage the material in a variety of ways. 3 hrs. lect.