Some Problems of Interpretation in the New Economic Geography

Abstract

This article presents two sets of controversies about the dominant and not very general character of the literature on New Economic Geography (NEG). The first line of analysis holds that the NEG concentrates on a series of topics that are not very interesting from the point of view of urban-regional economics while lacking an explicit spatial referent. The second evaluates the relevance of the NEG for studying the phenomenon of convergence and the measurement of economies of agglomeration. The conclusion points toward a better interpretation of the NEG, making more productive use of its main contributions.

Note: Downloadable document is in Spanish.

Keywords: New Economic Geography, urban economics, regional economics

JEL Classification: R10, R11, B40, 018