Article,
Practicing new economic geographies: A methodological examination
ANNALS OF THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN GEOGRAPHERS, 93 (2): 442-462 (June 2003)
Abstract
Practicing new economic geographies necessarily entails a critical
re-evaluation of research methodologies because of its different
substantive research foci. In this article, I examine some
methodological implications of the recent refiguring of the
``economic'' in economic geography. Some key features of new economic
geographies include understanding the social embeddedness of economic
action, mapping shifting identities of social actors, and exploring the
role of material and discursive contexts in shaping economic behavior.
I argue that practitioners of new economic geographies can no longer
rely exclusively on established ``scientific'' methodology for
empirical research and data analysis. Instead, I argue for a
process-based methodological framework through which we employ
complementary methodological practices (e.g., tracing actor networks
and in situ research) and triangulation, not only to explore the
microfoundations of economic action, but also to generate, in a
reflexive manner, theoretical insights from the multiscalar dimensions
of economic action.
