Search

The main purpose of this paper is to reveal the Finnish paper industry from the economic geographic perspectives. There have been many mill and machine line closures especially in Finland after 2001. Therefore, it is interesting to research the development of manufacturing and transportation costs and paper prices during 2001−2008 in a large case mill. The research tradition of economic geography concerning the paper industry is scanty in the Nordic countries, and not many discussions have been published. This paper attempts to narrow the gap between theoretical and empirical discussions concerning the paper industry. The empirical data is obtained from one large integrated mill, and the research data covers cost components from the years 2001–2008. The results show that the economic performance has lowered clearly in the case mill. An interesting finding was that in overseas distant deliveries, transit costs can even decrease due to inexpensive sea transportation and paper prices slightly increase, probably due to lowered competition in the exported paper qualities.Although the mill data has been examined in detail, it only covers one large paper mill with several machine lines. Therefore, the results can only be generalized to some extent to other export-dependent paper industries operating in peripheral areas with minimal local demand. Our study shows that the empiric methods of economic geography offer interesting views highlighting such spatial heterogeneities in the paper industry. The industry’s location affects competition through transit costs, and this topic should be included more in location and economic studies.

The main purpose of this paper is to reveal the Finnish paper industry from the economic geographic perspectives. There have been many mill and machine line closures especially in Finland after 2001. Therefore, it is interesting to research the development of manufacturing and transportation costs and paper prices during 2001-2008 in a large case mill. The research tradition of economic geography concerning the paper industry is scanty in the Nordic countries, and not many discussions have been published. This paper attempts to narrow the gap between theoretical and empirical discussions concerning the paper industry. The empirical data is obtained from one large integrated mill, and the research data covers cost components from the years 2001-2008. The results show that the economic performance has lowered clearly in the case mill. An interesting finding was that in overseas distant deliveries, transit costs can even decrease due to inexpensive sea transportation and paper prices slightly increase, probably due to lowered competition in the exported paper qualities. Although the mill data has been examined in detail, it only covers one large paper mill with several machine lines. Therefore, the results can only be generalized to some extent to other export-dependent paper industries operating in peripheral areas with minimal local demand. Our study shows that the empiric methods of economic geography offer interesting views highlighting such spatial heterogeneities in the paper industry. The industry's location affects competition through transit costs, and this topic should be included more in location and economic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article compares the accuracy of forecasted and actual supply chain cost and price factors in a Nordic paper mill's sales to customers in two large European countries. Empirical longitudinal research data covering the years between 2002 and 2008 were obtained from a large integrated Finnish paper mill, and consisted of sales volumes, paper prices, variable costs, and transport costs. It was expected that the mill would be able to forecast demand, prices and costs accurately, but the empirical findings showed that the forecasts for paper price, demand, and cost varied from one market to another and were not highly accurate. In addition, the forecasting of gross margins seemed to be very inexact. It is concluded that there is a need for more reliable forecasting methods in the paper industry to anticipate economic development as paper demand and costs change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews Paul Krugman's fundamental contributions to new trade theory (NTT) and new economic geography (NEG) on the occasion of his 2008 Nobel Prize. We appraise the impact his work had on the field of regional science broadly defined, and we quantify its influence on papers published in Papers in Regional Science ( PIRS) between 1991 and 2009 (vols. 70–87 and papers in press). We then discuss in more detail a few contributions published in PIRS that extend his original analysis in various directions. Finally, we briefly speculate on where NEG is headed to and which are the research directions that should be explored more thoroughly in the future. Resumen Con ocasión de su Premio Nobel de 2008, este artículo revisa las contribuciones fundamentales de Paul Krugman a la nueva teoría del comercio (NTT, por sus siglas en inglés) y a la Nueva Geografía Económica (NEG, por sus siglas en inglés). Valoramos el impacto que ha tenido su trabajo en el campo de la Ciencia Regional en su más amplia definición, y cuantificamos su influencia sobre artículos publicados en Papers in Regional Science (PiRS) entre 1991 y 2009 (vols. 70-87 y artículos en prensa). A continuación discutimos en más detalle unas pocas contribuciones publicadas en PiRS que amplían su análisis original en varias direcciones. Finalmente, especulamos brevemente sobre adónde se dirige la NEG y cuales son las avenidas de investigación que deberían ser exploradas en mayor profundidad en el futuro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is to present an analysis of the use of statistical methods and tools in scientific articles related to socio-economic geography and spatial management published in the years 2012-2021. In order to evaluate the intensity and diversity of this phenomenon, a query was carried out using the Web of Sciences electronic academic information database. A preliminary literature search led to the decision to focus on papers published in three selected journals relating to social geography (Geoforum), economic geography (Applied Geography) and spatial management (Landscape and Urban Planning). The paper analyses the variety of the statistical tools used in the studies presented in the aforementioned journals. The frequency and type of the applied statistical methods, computer software and computing tools is correlated with the specificity of the research area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explains how second graders built a three-dimensional map and presents an interaction with community members, consumers, and business owners, exploring economic exchange and decision making.

According to some economic geographers, modern economic geography has been increasingly fragmented over the last twenty years, concerning both its themes and its paradigms. However, so far, no bibliometric analysis has been carried out to quantitatively measure the degree of fragmentation in economic geography concerning paradigms. In this paper, we therefore aim to analyze the state of the art in economic geography concerning paradigms and perspectives based on a combination of a bibliometric and qualitative analysis. We conclude that fragmented pluralism is less of a problem than stated in scholars' qualitative judgments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how geography matters for the location of industries in East Asia, employing regression analyses on a novel and comprehensive regional GDP dataset. This study examines how geography affects industrial location patterns, particularly the role of infrastructure, such as ports and airports. This paper analyzes the current economic geography of East Asia using the novel dataset. The regression analyses utilize location quotients as the dependent variable and incorporate explanatory variables, such as domestic/foreign market access, per capita income, population density, and distance-based dummies for ports and airports. The findings reveal that the determinants of industrial location differ significantly across industries. The relative importance of domestic versus foreign market access and proximity to ports and airports varies across sectors. The results imply that countries/regions cannot easily host industries of their choice, as different industries require distinct locational characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that population age structure plays a significant role alongside institutional, technological, political, and cultural factors when it comes to explaining shifts in urban, regional and national economic development. The paper demonstrates how demographic transitions lead to changes in population age structure which in turn correlate with global shifts in economic development from 1950 onwards. It then analyzes the role of population age structure at the sub-national level by reviewing some prominent cases of regional and urban shifts in Western Europe and North America. Population size, population density and migration have always been an integrated part of economic geography, and the consequences of ageing in national and regional economies are increasingly being studied. The specific role of population age structure as a driver of economic development has, however, so far largely been ignored in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Margaret River region (Western Australia) is a popular international tourism destination. Since its emergence in the late 19th century, tourism in the Margaret River region (MRR) has interacted with a number of regional industries including timber, dairy, and wine. These interactions have changed from 'supportive' to 'competing' reflecting various changes in the market and the availability of common local assets such as forest, land, and public funding. While timber and dairy had an important influence on the evolution of tourism in the region, it was the emergence of wine that shifted tourism the most. Using selected concepts of evolutionary economic geography (EEG), mainly path-dependence, path-reformation, interpath relations, and triggering events, this paper demonstrates how tourism has interacted with different other industries and how these interactions have shaped the MRR as a wine-tourist destination. The paper shows how two related triggering events contributed to the emergence of wine-tourism as a new path in the region – a process referred to as 'path-blending'. In this respect, the paper provides empirical evidence that triggering events can result in multiple new paths and can also significantly shape the relations between new and existing regional paths. As such, the paper responds to the call for breaking away with the 'single-path view' in research on industrial evolution, and for more attention to the various relations between tourism and other sectors within a tourist destination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is a defining challenge of our times. The five papers collected in this special issue provide foundations to well-informed policymaking by addressing two main themes of the economic geography of climate change. First, it brings effects that are heterogeneous across space. Some regions of the globe will lose more than others and some may even be better off as a result. Second, humans will have to adapt in order to survive. We emphasize how the lack of mobility could contribute to worsening the socioeconomic costs of climate change. This issue also considers alternative margins of adjustment, such as fertility, specialization and trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]