Workshop and Related Acctivities for Developing Research Protocols or the Study of Global Economic Change; Worcester, Massachusetts; November 2001

Clark University, Worcester MA

Investigators

Abstract

Dramatic changes in economic activity around the world and new approaches and methods for studying the geographic dimensions of global economic change have made recent decades exciting ones for economic geographers. Much progress has resulted from the work of researchers who have sought to employ an enlarged concept of the "economic" and build upon new developments in social theory and the philosophy of science. Major questions remain regarding many facets of global economic change, however, including expanded analysis of the scalar dynamics of global economic change, and especially of economic globalization processes per se; integration of nature-society and space-society research traditions through the study of global economic change; and increased engagement by economic geographers with policy processes, and more generally issues of governance. This project will facilitate communication among economic geographers through three related sets of activities designed to stimulate and facilitate future work on global economic change. The three sets of activities are (1) the discussion and development of research protocols for the study of global economic change, which will be undertaken by a "virtual" research community over the Internet; (2) a focused workshop (to be held in November 2001 at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts) to present initial research, discuss use of the protocol, and consider ways to "build up" from individual studies to broader synthesizing statements on global economic change; and (3) ongoing maintenance of a Web site as a depository and clearinghouse for linked research projects. This project will bring many different economic geographers together to follow-up on prior agenda-setting activities through more coordinated efforts that assist in the organization of research and that provide feedback on initial studies by both new and established researchers. In additional to addressing issues of theoretical and conceptual framing, the network of scholars who will engage in this activity will address methodological and institutional obstacles by developing research protocols that facilitate comparative research on the complex, multi-scalar processes associated with global economic change as well as the diversity of attendant geographical outcomes. Through these activities, more meaningful research on the geographic dimensions of global economic change will be evident through both collaborative research and through more meaningful studies by individual researchers.