Complexity thinking and evolutionary economic geography
Complexity thinking and evolutionary economic geography
Thus far, most of the work towards the construction of an evolutionary economic
geography has drawn upon a particular version of evolutionary economics, namely
the Nelson-Winter framework, which blends Darwinian concepts and metaphors
(especially variety, selection, novelty and inheritance) and elements of a behavioural
theory of the firm. Much less attention has been directed to an alternative conception
based on complexity theory, yet in recent years complexity theory has increasingly been
concerned with the general attributes of evolutionary natural and social systems. In this
article we explore the idea of the economic landscape as a complex adaptive system.
We identify several key notions of what is being called the new ‘complexity economics’,
and examine whether and in what ways these can be used to help inform an
evolutionary perspective for understanding the uneven development and adaptive
transformation of the economic landscape.
complexity theory, evolution, economic landscape, networks, emergence, regional adaptation
573-601
Martin, Ron
09d95774-40e0-4ec5-8510-b06968f58ec2
Sunley, Peter
a3efb579-965f-4f39-812e-9e07caf15afd
18 June 2007
Martin, Ron
09d95774-40e0-4ec5-8510-b06968f58ec2
Sunley, Peter
a3efb579-965f-4f39-812e-9e07caf15afd
Martin, Ron and Sunley, Peter
(2007)
Complexity thinking and evolutionary economic geography.
Journal of Economic Geography, 7 (5), .
(doi:10.1093/jeg/lbm019).
Abstract
Thus far, most of the work towards the construction of an evolutionary economic
geography has drawn upon a particular version of evolutionary economics, namely
the Nelson-Winter framework, which blends Darwinian concepts and metaphors
(especially variety, selection, novelty and inheritance) and elements of a behavioural
theory of the firm. Much less attention has been directed to an alternative conception
based on complexity theory, yet in recent years complexity theory has increasingly been
concerned with the general attributes of evolutionary natural and social systems. In this
article we explore the idea of the economic landscape as a complex adaptive system.
We identify several key notions of what is being called the new ‘complexity economics’,
and examine whether and in what ways these can be used to help inform an
evolutionary perspective for understanding the uneven development and adaptive
transformation of the economic landscape.
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Published date: 18 June 2007
Additional Information:
Advance Access published online on June 18, 2007. Innovative article that develops evolutionary economic geography by critically evaluating insights of recent complexity economics and complex adaptive system approaches. It investigates complexity approaches to regional economics and, by highlighting unresolved questions and key insights, makes original recommendations regarding the research agenda. Contributed half of underlying research and writing
Keywords:
complexity theory, evolution, economic landscape, networks, emergence, regional adaptation
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 47040
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/47040
ISSN: 1468-2702
PURE UUID: b0819492-ff88-4ecd-b486-6e35624fac12
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Date deposited: 23 Jul 2007
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:36
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Author:
Ron Martin
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