Geography and Trade (Gaston Eyskens Lectures) [Paperback]

Paul Krugman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0262610868 | ISBN-13: 978-0262610865 | Publication Date: November 13, 1992 | Edition: 1st

"I have spent my whole professional life as an international economist thinking and writing about economic geography, without being aware of it," begins Paul Krugman in the readable and anecdotal style that has become a hallmark of his writings. Krugman observes that his own shortcomings in ignoring economic geography have been shared by many professional economists, primarily because of the lack of explanatory models. In Geography and Trade he provides a stimulating synthesis of ideas in the literature and describes new models for implementing a study of economic geography that could change the nature of the field.Economic theory usually assumes away distance. Krugman argues that it is time to put it back - that the location of production in space is a key issue both within and between nations.Paul Krugman is Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has been a consultant to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the United Nations, the Trilateral Commission, and the U.S. State Department. He is a member of the Group of Thirty. His books include the recent bestselling Age of Diminished Expectations: U.S. Economic Policy in the 1990s.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Paul Krugman is Professor of Economics and International Affairs at Princeton University and a New York Times columnist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2008.

Product Details

• Paperback: 156 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press; 1st edition (November 13, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262610868
• ISBN-13: 978-0262610865
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,034 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul Krugman is the recipient of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Economics. He writes a twice-weekly op-ed column for the New York Times and a blog named for his 2007 book "The Conscience of a Liberal." He teaches economics at Princeton University. His books include "The Accidental Theorist," "The Conscience of a Liberal," "Fuzzy Math," "The Great Unraveling," "Peddling Prosperity," and two editions of "The Return of Depression Economics," both national bestsellers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elegant and readable introduction, combining history and economics, July 22, 2009

By 

banana chocolate chip (boston, ma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Geography and Trade (Gaston Eyskens Lectures) (Paperback)

Krugman's book is readable and thought-provoking. As other reviewers have noted, it's not all brand new or groundbreaking (which makes sense given that it was a series of lectures). But this is not a shortcoming for the non-expert reader, nor really for economists who have paid too little attention to amazing patterns and idiosyncrasies of agglomeration.

For me, the highlight of the book is Krugman's recognition of the historical indeterminacy of agglomeration. Agglomeration dictates the general patterns of development, but historical coincidences change the specific place and time of actual development. Full of both abstract models and concrete examples, this is useful and entertaining book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Geography and regional trade, April 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Geography and Trade (Gaston Eyskens Lectures) (Paperback)

Krugman's small book contains a lot of insights regarding geography and regional trade. The use of simple models to increase our understanding of ideas that some might refer to as "common sense" is actually the strength of the book (not a drawback at all). The ideas are less applicable to international trade since factors of production are assumed perfectly mobile. The book does, however, provide a framework for thinking about trade between countries that differ from traditional international trade theory. I highly recommend the book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Geography with models, July 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Geography and Trade (Gaston Eyskens Lectures) (Paperback)

In this little and clearly written book Prof. Krugman asks two important questions, which are in the centre of geography for a long time. These two questions are: why is production spatially concentrated ? and why are particular industries often highly localized ? starting with the empirical example of the manufacturing belt in the U.S. Prof. Krugman developes a simple model which shows that the interaction of increasing returns, transportation costs and demand can result into the spatial concentration of the whole manufacturing sector. The causes of industrial localization, Prof. Krugman argues, are external economies like labor market pooling, pecuniary externalities through intermediate inputs and technological spillovers between firms. Again, Prof. Krugman uses some simple models to get to his point. Some may argue that the results of these simple models are obvious. This is right but with his models Prof. Krugman gives the geographic community a much more powerful ! tool of analysis as just story-telling or statistical explorations.