Total Time: 50 minutes

20 Minutes

Ia Discuss your understanding (at this relatively early stage of Geog.450) of the role of "agglomeration economies" as a space-differenting force. If possible, bring some order into the terminological confusion surrounding agglomeration and localization economies and diseconomies, external & internal economies, and economies of scale and scope. In what way did the reading of one (which?) of the three alternative readings from the Journal of Economic Perspectives 1998 (Quickley, Krugman or Glaeser) contribute to (or not) this understanding.

or:

Ib Discuss this statement: "The forces behind spatial processes, especially those surrounding urbanization, can be simplified and reduced to 'centripetal' (spatially concentrating) and 'centrifugal' (dispersing) forces."

20 Minutes

IIa Hayter's ch.2 is titled "Manufacturing Change in Historical Perspective". You have these choices:

1. Review the major points made in this chapter, especially (but not necessarily) if your area of interest and specialization belongs to "manufacturing" or closely related fields. Or,
2. if your area is not manufacturing, present some historical context for your area, emphasizing those forces, contexts and circumstances which relate to the locational evolution of the phenomena you are interested in relating to this class.

or:

IIb Briefly and in your own words,

1. explain the rationale for the suggestion that geographers may want to add a "medium-run" to the dichotomy of short- and long-run time horizons for locational adjustments; then
2. use the major part of your answer to relate "time horizons" to your area of interests and/or specialization; finally,
3. suggest whether the increased flexibility which Helfgott ("Demise of the Long-Run", Handout) suggests is present in manufacturing can also be found in your area of interest. If yes, briefly explain this flexibility and the extent to which it may be some kind of "locational flexibility". If not, explain why you suggest that rigidities remain dominant.

10 minutes

III Give a brief account of the logistical AND conceptual "trials and tribulations" you are facing in getting your blue-list topic off the ground.

Please note: There will be a brief second part of this midterm, namely a "surprise" 20 minute closed-notebook, concept-identification QUIZ related entirely to classical and neoclassical location concepts in one of the classes during the next two week.