Evolution, Path Dependence and Economic Geography

Abstract

AbstractThis article provides a review of research on evolution and path dependence in economic geography. While economic geographers have long been interested in regional economic change, the period since the early 1990s has witnessed a more explicit concern with questions of evolution and adaptation. Indeed, the notion that the economic landscape is ‘path‐dependent’ has been described as one of the most exciting ideas in economic geography. Evolutionary economic geography (EEG) can be seen as comprised of two main strands of literature, focusing on: path dependency, institutions and lock‐in; and evolution, routines and complexity. Rather than viewing EEG as a separate enterprise, I suggest that there is a need to link evolution to institutional and political economy approaches within a theoretically plural economic geography. After outlining the contribution of evolutionary economics and the two key strands of EEG, the article discusses some key issues for evolutionary research in economic geography.