Relational Economic Geography

Abstract

Relational economic geography represents a broad set of theoretical approaches, which have an explicit focus on the social foundations of economic processes. A central concern of studies that constitute this line of inquiry is an understanding of how the nature, scale, and structure of social relations between key economic actors shape processes of restructuring and consequent economic performance. This article outlines the constitutive features of relational economic geography. The article begins by providing a historical context for the rise of relational economic geography, situating it as a response to empirical trends as well as the limits of past approaches. Then, the key attributes associated with relational economic studies are presented. Given the diversity of perspectives that fall within a school of ‘relational’ thinking, the discussion highlights not only a general approach that has dominated an earlier wave of studies but also an alternative set of approaches that have come into ascendance of late. While earlier studies emphasize a place-based approach to analyzing key networks associated with economic learning, highlighting how proximity can allow for institutions that facilitate knowledge exchange, more recent analyses are agency centered and focus on the contingent nature and scale of such networks. The article concludes with reflections on the state of relational economic geography as a ‘work-in-progress’, underlining the conceptual and methodological challenges that remain.