Economic development and underdevelopment is one aspect of the uneven spatial distribution of economic activity. This paper reviews existing literature on geography and development, and argues that rigorous theoretical and empirical analysis is needed to increase understanding of the role of geography in development and to better design development policy. The analytical issues are: why does economic activity cluster in centers of activity? How do new centers develop? And what are the consequences of remoteness from existing centers? Empirical evidence comes both from the international context and from studies of internal economic geography and urbanization.

Abstract — Smallholder farmers face many challenges competing in the global marketplace. One major constraint is the lack of access to information and communications, which could be used to make decisions and reach new markets. In this paper, drawing from our experiences designing agricultural information systems in India and Central America, we provide a framework for understanding inter-stakeholder communications within agricultural value chains, focusing on the needs of small producers. First, we outline the major types of stakeholders — including farmers, consumers, intermediaries and various supporting organizations. Then, we survey the major categories of information systems supporting communication between stakeholders, focusing on those reaching small farmers. Based on this survey, we provide the following categorization of information flows within agricultural value chains: 1) link-to-link (L2L): those information flows required to coordinate the sale, movement, and distribution of produce along the value chain, 2) peer-to-peer (P2P): communications required to share knowledge and experiences between members of the same stakeholder group, and the expert community serving that stakeholder group and 3) end-toend (E2E): communications between producers and consumers, for example, to facilitate exchange of non-economic values to be used as external inputs to market pricing (e.g, certification). We outline some reasons why current information systems have had difficulty in reaching small producers, and highlight a few technology trends that could contribute to increasing the fidelity and accessibility of communications, both between producers and consumers, as well as within their respective stakeholder communities.

The Internet is frequently touted as the engine of a new revolution that can eliminate poverty and bring prosperity to producers of crafts and commodities in economically impoverished areas of the world. ‘E-commerce’, ‘commodity chains’, the ‘digital divide’, and ‘disintermediation ’ are all inherently geographical ideas, as well as being integral components to many theories of economic development. However, despite a movement by geographers to recognize the nuanced relationships between the Internet and geography, such ideas have remained largely absent from much development discourse. By reviewing writing on geographical concepts such as ‘commodity chains’, the ‘digital divide’, ‘disintermediation’, and ‘e-commerce ’ within the contexts of contemporary debates about development, this article highlights some of the geographic assumptions wrapped up in a range of theories of development and shows how these spatial assumptions matter. The article concludes by reflecting on alternate geographic metaphors that could be employed within development discourse to better express the complicated and spatially contingent relationships between information and communication technologies, geography, and economic development. The Internet will have [a] profound effect on the way we work, live and learn. By enabling instantaneous and seamless communication and commerce around the globe, from almost any device imaginable, this technology will be one of the key cultural and economic forces of the early 21st century. (Gates 2000)

MMCP Discussion Paper No. 12 (Revised)

This paper shows that a “new wave of globalization, ” involving extensive offshoring, has raised both actual and perceived labor market insecurity in industrialized countries. The paper analyzes various channels through which this new wave of globalization leads to economic insecurity. In particular, it emphasises the key role of overall macroeconomic conditions for spreading and sustaining the potential benefits of offshoring. It discusses and points out the inadequacies of various policy responses that industrialized countries have come up with so far to the challenges of the new of globalization and advocates urgent steps toward formulation of policies and erection of institutional structure more appropriate to confront these challenges.

“making markets work for the poor ” (M4P)- Poverty reduction through value chain promotion--DRAFT-

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Carleton University organized a conference on the theme "Integrative Trade between Canada and the United States—Policy Implications". The discussion was structured around three main papers, which constitute the next three chapters of this volume: � Timothy Sturgeon, "Conceptualizing Integrative Trade: The Global Value Chains Framework", which provides an overview of the state of development of multi-disciplinary research on the evolution of global value chains; � Art Ridgeway, "Data Issues on Integrative Trade between Canada and the US: Measurement Issues for Supply Chains", which examines the issues posed for statistical agencies in grappling with the changing international industrial landscape; and � Michael Hart and William Dymond, "Trade Theory, Trade Policy, and Cross-Border Integration", which examined the implications of these developments for the trade policy community. This note sets out the background which motivated the organization of the conference and describes some of the concepts which shaped the discussions.

founded in 2004, brings together economic researchers from several countries in the Americas who have carried out empirical studies of the social and environmental impacts of economic liberalization. The Working Group’s goal is to contribute empirical research and policy analysis to the ongoing policy debates on national economic development strategies and international trade. The Working Group held its inaugural meeting in Brasilia, March 29-30, 2004. This paper is one of eight written for the Brasilia meetings. They are the basis for “Globalization and the Environment: Lessons from the

and other research outputs What are the implications for global value chains when the market shifts from the north to the south? Other How to cite: Kaplinsky, Raphael and Farooki, Masuma (2010). What are the implications for global value chains when the market shifts from the north to the south? The World Bank. For guidance on citations see FAQs. c ○ 2010 The Authors Version: Version of Record Copyright and Moral Rights for the articles on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. For more information on Open Research Online’s data policy on reuse of materials please consult the policies page. oro.open.ac.uk WPS5205