Rethinking Path Creation

A Geographical Political Economy Approach

Bibliographic Data

ID4875215
AuthorsDouglas Mackinnon (0000-0003-2901-5081, Newcastle University), Danny Mackinnon (Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS)Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 7RU UK), Stuart Dawley (0009-0008-9319-7346, Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS)Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 7RU UK), Andy Pike (0000-0001-7651-2983, Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS)Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 7RU UK), Andrew Cumbers (0000-0002-9876-5241, Adam Smith Business SchoolUniversity of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ UK)
Year2019
Volume95
Issue2
Pages113-135
Publication date2019-03-15
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEconomic Geography (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0013-0095 • E-ISSN: 1944-8287
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00130095.2018.1498294
OpenAlexW2907775464
LanguageEN
Citations received261
References cited69

A burgeoning strand of evolutionary economic geography (EEG) research is addressing questions of regional path creation, based on the idea that place-specific legacies and conditions play a critical role in supporting the emergence of new economic activities. Yet there has been little effort thus far to take stock of this emerging body of research. In response, the aims of this article are to offer a fresh synthesis of recent work and to develop a broader theoretical framework to inform future research. First, it presents a critical appraisal of the state of the art in path creation research. In an effort to address identified gaps in EEG research, this incorporates insights from sociological perspectives, the global production networks approach, and transition studies. Second, the article’s development of a systematic theoretical framework is based on the identification of key dimensions of path creation and their constitutive interrelations. This contribution is underpinned by a geographical political economy (GPE) approach that provides the ontological basis for the integration of the five key dimensions of path creation within an overarching framework and the positioning of regional processes in relation to the broader dynamics of uneven development. Informed by GPE, the argument is that knowledgeable actors, operating within multiscalar institutional environments, create paths through the strategic coupling of regional and extraregional assets to mechanisms of path creation and associated markets. To inform further research, the article outlines four concrete propositions regarding the operation of path creation processes in different types of regions and explores these through case studies of Berlin and Pittsburgh

Argument (complex analysis) · Economics · Neoclassical economics · Path dependence · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact · Regional Economics and Spatial Analysis · Regional resilience and development

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