Economic geography and theory of regulation - A French perspective

This article examines the relationship between the economic geography of the 1990s and recent economic theories. After a presentation of the origins of the theory of regulation and convention theory, the relationship between them and spatial analysis is outlined. The second part of the article develops a typology of contemporary research in spatial economics outlining the key features of the following concepts: industrial organisation, industrial districts, networks, governance and conventions. Finally, the paper compares approaches which proceed from an analysis of the local to the global. The conclusion proposes a number of directions for research.