Abstract
Theories and conceptions of the economy profoundly shape how it comes to be known. In this chapter the author compares and contrasts the sociospatial ontologies of economists and geographers, theorizing the relationship between geography and economic development. These groups of scholars share the view that neoliberal globalization has undermined development prospects for the disadvantaged, but their contrasting ontologies generate different understandings of capitalism and of how to resolve this problem. Economists know capitalism as in principle capable of alleviating poverty and uneven geographical development, concluding that development is best achieved by following a common path to capitalist development everywhere, as pioneered by advanced capitalist societies. Geographers know capitalism as generative of inequality and uneven geographical development, as a system that forces disadvantaged social groups and geographical locations to find different approaches to development in order to overcome their current disadvantage conducive.
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Sheppard, E. (2013). Economics, Geography, and Knowing “Development”. In: Meusburger, P., Glückler, J., el Meskioui, M. (eds) Knowledge and the Economy. Knowledge and Space, vol 5. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6131-5_8
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