Economic geography and island life: A contribution to debate

Abstract

The possibility of new islands to be discovered/created is raised that might lead to a rethinking of the dominant paradigm within contemporary economics which could provide a richer basis for understanding the social, cultural and institutional context in which markets are embedded. Such an approach, it is argued, would allow a better understanding of the dynamics of change than that currently provided by neoclassical economics. The need for such an expanded understanding is explored by drawing on research into housing markets, knowledge economies and the growing work of social scientists on environmental and climate change.