Has the New Economic Geography Overcome the Shortcomings of Mainstream Economics in Theorizing Space? An Inquiry on the Space, Time and Modeling Constraints of Theorizing Uneven Geographical Development in the Development Process

Abstract

The neglect of the relationship between geography and economics in mainstream economic analysis has led economists to develop new economic approaches to understand uneven geographical development, and the New Economic Geography approach was born out of such a theoretical endeavor. The aim of this paper is to examine whether this approach, which incorporates space into economic theory, develops a theoretical framework that overcomes the problems of ignoring the spatial and temporal context inherent in mainstream economic analysis and building models based on simplistic assumptions that cannot explain the real world. Based on this examination, the argument of the study is that this approach, which has attempted to bring mainstream economics and geography together by rising as “new” in the field of economic geography, provides a problematic analysis of the relationship between geography and economics by failing to overcome the spatial, temporal and modeling constraints of mainstream economic analysis for the following reasons in the hypothetical world of models that can be applied “anywhere” and“anytime”: dealing with space as abstract geometric representations, limiting time to the analysis of equilibrium and stability and reducing it to a methodological tool that shows movement towards equilibrium and building mathematical models which are limited to deriving equilibrium states in a fictional world with simple assumptions.

Keywords

• geography-economics relationship
• new economic geography
• uneven geographical development

Eşitsiz Coğrafi Gelişmenin Teorizasyonunda Yeni Ekonomik Coğrafya Modeli Anaakım İktisadın Eksikliklerini Aşmış mıdır? Kalkınma Sürecinde Mekânın Kuramlaştırılmasına Dair Modelin İçerdiği Kısıtlar

Abstract

Coğrafya ve iktisat ilişkisinin anaakım iktisadi analizde yok sayılması, eşitsiz coğrafi gelişmeyi anlamak için iktisatçıların yeni iktisadi yaklaşımlar geliştirmesine yol açmış ve Yeni Ekonomik Coğrafya yaklaşımı böyle bir teorik çaba içinden doğmuştur. Çalışmanın amacı, iktisadi teoriye mekânı dahil eden bu yaklaşımın, anaakım iktisadi analize içkin olan mekânsal ve zamansal bağlamı yok sayma ve basit varsayımlara dayalı, gerçek dünyayı açıklayamayan modeller kurma sorunlarını aşan bir teorik çerçeve geliştirip geliştirmediğini sorgulamaktır. Bu incelemeye dayalı olarak, çalışmanın argümanı, ekonomik coğrafya alanında “yeni” sıfatıyla yükselerek anaakım iktisatla coğrafyayı bir araya getirme çabasına giren bu yaklaşımın “her yerde” ve “her zaman” uygulanabilen modellerinin varsayımsal dünyasında, mekanın soyut geometrik temsiller olarak alınması, zamanın denge ve istikrar analiziyle sınırlandırılarak dengeye doğru hareketi gösteren bir metodolojik araca indirgenmesi ve kurduğu matematiksel modellerin basit varsayımlarla kurgusal bir dünyada denge durumları türetmekle sınırlı kalması itibariyle anaakım iktisadi analizin taşıdığı mekânsal, zamansal ve modellemeye dair kısıtları aşamayarak, coğrafya ve iktisat ilişkisinin sorunlu bir analizini yaptığıdır.

Keywords

• coğrafya-iktisat ilişkisi
• yeni ekonomik coğrafya
• eşitsiz coğrafi gelişme

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