An insight into economic geography

Economic Geography is concerned with the distribution of commodities. In recent decades, this branch of geography has received criticism from geographers such as Peter Dickens for being too pluralist in nature and thus ineffective at resolving specific concerns. It has been argued that geography as a discipline struggles to find its ‘scholarly niche’, and that there appears to be a trade-off between pluralism and engagement in issues. However, the reverse side of the argument, which has engaged the concept of behavioural economic geography, is that geography serves as a provider of context; this is apparent, arguably, in economic geography, particularly with the example of pensions in the UK. In this article, I shall discuss whether economic geography’s pluralist nature is a good thing or not, and whether geography holds as a discipline in its own right.

When Peter Dickens wrote the well-known book “Global Shift”, discussing globalization, he deliberately omitted from the cover the word “geography”. This was not unintentional, and in fact Dickens admitted to the fact that “most people would not have taken such a book written by a ‘mere geographer’ very seriously”. Why is this, and is there any point in continuing my writing now that you know I, too, am a ‘mere geographer’? The argument put forward by many economic geographers is that economic geography’s increasing use of theoretical and methodological approaches is contributing to a lack of engagement with the ‘real world’. An example of this is the debate about concepts of globalization. Dickens declares that the development of a ‘global community’ has contributed to a more diverse discussion, but less agreement. We are unable to reach a topical core that unites us as this so-called ‘global community’, and economic geography’s non-centered perception of the world is not helping in this. There was, for example, a distinct lack of consensus in economic geographers’ reactions to the Financial Crisis. A criticism cited of geography as a discipline is the inevitable time-lag of its presentation of findings. Geographers’ commitments to both collect primary data and assess a wide range of theoretical concepts leads to delays – many papers, for example, take between twelve and twenty four months to be published. A paper that first explored the recession’s impact on DC pension funds began in 2008, but was not published until 2011! It is therefore argued that the geographical process of investigation is flawed, both in its method and its aims, as delays in submission and attempts to contextualize even freak exogenous events lead to a superficial understanding.

However, others argue, including Tversky and Kahneman, that economic geography and geography as whole has an ability to use its specific case studies to develop a broader understanding, without losing sight of its diffuse aims. For example, Latin America was less affected than Europe and the US by the Financial Crisis. Why was this? The reason was its ability to rely on non-centered commodity maritime shipping networks, thus mitigating against any domestic falls in demand. This concept, arguably, can only be appreciated by a discipline that both contextualizes and explores the reasons behind such spatial differentiation. Institutions today are no longer isolated, but exist as widely dispersed nodes within a wider network. Therefore, Dicken’s point about globalization leading to confusion may be true initially, but it is undeniably a useful tool for appreciating ideas of this nature. Furthermore, economic geography’s concern with space and place quickly widens the framework for analysis, for example with pension decisions in the UK. Behavioral economic geography seeks to appreciate social and spatial context in savings decision-making, and moves beyond the assumption that each agent is rational and seeks utility maximization all the time (Rational Choice Theory). Family influences, imitation and even morality can alter the decisions of those contributing to pensions, away from that which may be more rational. Geography in general appreciates how socially and culturally agents are embedded, and this allows a deeper analysis of economic decision-making. Contextual factors such as these can not easily be analyzed quantitatively, and thus geography’s appreciation of it may move it beyond those other disciplines which rely on empirical testing for thesis formulation.

In conclusion, economic geography’s appreciation of a need to widen analysis on economic discourse is a good thing. This is because it moves our understanding beyond economic assumptions of rationality, and provides social and cultural context.

Powerful, Mexican drug lords govern the black market

For many of us, drug lords are stereotypically ruthless people who thrive on kidnap, murder and extortion; which leads us to believe that they possess no real sense of decorum. However, this is an image that we have perceived to be fictional – something that only exists in the world of film. So it is surreal to think that this life truly exists right now and centred in the heart of the USA is an area ideal for running this illegal drug trade. With the Gulf of Mexico being at the foot of North America, it is in a prime position for trading across the two American continents as well as the rest of the world. In 2007, Mexico controlled 90% of the cocaine entering the United States. Sadly, this figure continues to rise year on year with the industries current worth estimated $13bn for this year.

The biggest cartel is known as ‘Los Zetas’. It first originated when 31 ex-soldiers became an army loyal to drug trafficking instead of America and this has rapidly expanded over the years to what seems like an uncontrollable network of hundreds of people. It is currently difficult to know the exact number of people in the cartel, but we do know that there are 1.4 million gang members in the Unites States alone. This highlights the fact that anyone could be part of a drug cartel – even those who have fought for their country. This in itself makes many feel uneasy and the fact that these gangs grow everyday, makes us rethink whether the world today really is a better place than it was centuries ago. On 1^st September 2012, in the coastal Mexican city of Acapulco, teachers went out on strike - not over wages, working conditions or pensions, but because of drug cartels fighting for power. This proves that the national drug war is such a prominent issue, that it has affected even the most regular of people just trying to make an honest living or get a good education.

Why is the situation not improving?

Some Mexican communities call drug traffickers ‘los valientes’ (spanish for the brave). This positive depiction of violent drug lords depicts the work of the cartels as admirable – something that acts as a driving force for the growth of the drug trade. Not only this, but advances in technology make it much easier to regulate the global drug industry and the fact that the Zetas have their own encrypted radio network adds to the issue further. The black market is also on an unimaginably large scale and is deeply rooted in Mexican Society. Ismael 'el Mayo' Zambada one of the most wanted traffickers has also supported this, saying, “millions of people are wrapped up in the narco problem. How can they be dominated? For all the bosses jailed, dead, or extradited, their replacements are already there”. Worryingly enough, there is truth to his words and this poses yet another problem that is not being managed efficiently.

Clearly, crime in Mexico (primarily the drug trade) is a key issue and we can only hope that authorities there will take charge and stop the drug war that has already produced 60,000 to 100,000 deaths.

How to use lightning to charge your smartphone

An average lightning bolt produces between 1,000 and 5,000MJ of energy, which is enough to power a car for about 180 to 910m and therefore definitely enough to charge a smartphone.

At the University of Southampton, scientists simulated such a scenario using a Nokia phone. They reproduced lightning by they running 200,000V through a transformer, resulting in the Nokia phone being charged within seconds. This investigation led the company to research the possibilities of creating wireless charging in the near future.

“The discovery proves that the device can be charged with a current that passes through the air, and is a huge step towards understanding a natural power like lightning and harnessing its energy.” – Neil Palmer

Japan: The dangers of ditching the dating game

Japans population is rapidly declining and ageing with forecasts predicting a loss of a third of the population by 2060. Japan’s population fell by a record 0.22 percent to 127.515 million as of 1^st October 2012, while people aged 65 or older surpassed the 30 million mark for the first time (Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry). The number of people aged 14 and younger fell to a record low of 13 percent.

In a country in which you are more likely to go on a date with an electronic girlfriend and men really do suffer from Peter Pan Syndrome (unwilling to commit and fear of growing up) it is unsurprising that about 37% of the population never marry, and the average age of marriage has increased from 25 to 33 years in the last five years.

In most western cultures lack of marriage would not impact the total number of births with 51% of babies in the UK being born out of wedlock in 2010. However, Japans strong traditional social values mean that less than 2% of babies are born out of wedlock. As a result, lack of marriage strongly correlates to a lack of births (or population increase).

A total fertility rate of 2.1 would keep the population stable, assuming no migration. Japan hit this level in 1960, but has fallen persistently below this since 1975. The total fertility rate reached a low of 1.26 in 2005. One of the main reasons for this decline is the changing role of women in society. In the post-1945 years the participation of women in the work force increased from 43% in 1970 to 75% in 2005. These behavioral shifts mean that women are having fewer babies and are having children at later age.

There is also clear indication of increased distancing between men and women. One of the main culprits for causing this trend is Japans Otaku culture - a world of nerds and geeks obsessed with computer games and Manga cartoons – which has led to many Japanese men withdrawing from the whole dating game. Whole sectors of mild porn and dating Sims have been developed to exploit this obsession. The most popular game being Nintendo DS’s love plus released only in Japan on September 3^rd 2009, with total revenue estimated at $225 million for game sales and associated products.

Japan is a very developed country, whose population is a true reflection of a constrictive population pyramid (stage 4) where population is generally older on average, as the country has long life expectancy, a low death rate and also a low birth rate. The population trends in the country add to a debt problem (quadrillion yen – 140% GDP) worse than that of Greece and an uncertain future for a country that still is the third largest economy in the world. There is fear for how the future generation will cope with the increased disproportion in the dependency ratio. 

However the extent to which the ageing population and decreasing youth population will impact the society is skewed as it does not account for increase in health of the overall population. Japanese woman since 1982 have had the highest life expectancy out of 228 countries according to the World Bank. Women are expected to live till 86 and men till 79, with women accounting for 87% of Japans 32,000 centenarians (expected to increase to 320,000 by 2030). However higher life expectancy does not mean longer periods of frailty and sickness as people are reaching older age in better condition than before. This has led to a decrease in the ratio of workers to non-workers, with the majority working over a decade past the traditional retirement age of 65. A workforce decline of 2.5% since 1999, and people retiring later has resulted in the bleak job prospects for the new generation. There is no longer the idea of a guaranteed ‘job for life’ which back in 1979 made Japan the envy of neighboring countries. This lack of security has also been a main factor accounting for the decline in marriage.

In conclusion the future of Japan rests on the need for a series of social and cultural changes in order to prevent their now prosperous mega cities becoming ghost towns, with only structural remnants indicating the population that once occupied them.

Arctic's Hudson Bay at tipping point

Since the mid 1990s, Hudson Bay is one of the Arctic’s last refugia (an area in which organisms can survive despite periods of harsh weather conditions) having undergone dramatic climate-driven changes and has reached an ecological tipping point. This is worrying, as until recently, the icy lowlands around Hudson Bay have remained resistant to global warming. This is due to the antecedent high temperatures in the Arctic.

A Paleolimnologist at Queen’s University stated that there were always a few refugia that seemed relatively resistant to change including the area around Hudson Bay. This is because Hudson Bay is the second largest inland sea in the world, and it is blocked with ice that helped keep the area cool. Inevitably, Hudson Bay was going to pass a tipping point. Recently, due to the increase in temperatures, the ice has started to melt. Since the 1990s, Hudson Bay has warmed about 3^oC.

Sediment cores and the ancient algae they contain show that the Hudson Bay region’s lakes experienced very little change over the centuries. This has now changed after the mid-1990s, the aquatic biota in the sediment record show striking shifts in ecosystems that are very similar to those seen elsewhere across the Arctic in regions where air temperatures warmed and time periods of ice-free water increased.

Physical changes around Hudson Bay could resemble those seen earlier in the high Arctic including less lake ice, shallower lakes and dried up ponds, along with the loss of productive wet peat lands. This climate change has had a large negative impact.