A GEOGRAPHICAL APPROACH TO THE ECONOMY: CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATIONS

A GEOGRAPHICAL APPROACH TO THE ECONOMY: CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATIONS JATTA KEBBA 08/25/13 SUMMARY: This paper is an analysis of the 2005 famine in Niger as well as the financial powerhouse in Wall Street, New York, from an economic geographic perspective as compared to the traditional orthodox economic analysis. It seeks to understand Niger and Wall Street’s unique position in the global (and national) pattern of uneven development, their social structures, and the characteristics and capabilities of their governing institutions. KEY POINTS: 1. Differences between the economist’s and economic geographer’s perspectives on the economy 2. Patterns of uneven development (national, regional, and global) as a necessity of global capitalism 3. Famine as a problem of distribution rather than production 4. Social constructions and representations of poverty and underdevelopment MOST IMPORTANT TERMS AND DEFINITIONS: • Place-refers to the specificity and uniqueness of a particular territory as a result of the interaction of physical features and social processes. • Space-refers to physical distance and area with defined boundaries from other entities. • Scale-refers to the size of the unit in consideration. For example, Niger could be considered at the national, regional or global scale. • Representation-refers to social constructions that describe and create representations of place, space and scale. LINKS: • Masochi to Manhattan versus low wage and high wage earners in the U.S. • Inequality as a product of capitalism • Profiteering versus human worth QUESTIONS: 1. How significant was the 2005 famine to the 2010 military ouster of Niger’s elected President? 2. Niger’s uranium was mentioned in the run up to the invasion of Iraq in 2002. What’s uranium’s contribution to Niger’s economy? 3. Why is so much Wall Street bashing? Is it seen as symbolic of the tyranny of capitalism?