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1、AnIntroductiontoRegionalEconomicsEdgarM.HooverandFrankGiarratani1Introduction1.1WHATISREGIONALECONOMICS?Economicsystemsaredynamicentities,andthenatureandconsequencesofchangesthattakeplaceinthesesystemsareofconsiderableimportance.Suchchangeaffectsthew
2、ell-beingofindividualsandultimatelythesocialandpoliticalfabricofcommunityandnation.Associalbeings,wecannothelpbutreacttothechangesweobserve.Forsomepeoplethatreactionisquitepassive;theeconomychanges,andtheyfindthattheirimmediateenvironmentissomehowdif
3、ferent,forcingadjustmenttothenewreality.Forothers,changesintheeconomicsystemrepresentachallenge;theyseektounderstandthenatureoffactorsthathaveledtochangeandmay,inlightofthatknowledge,adjusttheirownpatternsofbehaviororattempttobringaboutchangeintheeco
4、nomic,political,andsocialsystemsinwhichtheyliveandwork.Inthiscontext,regionaleconomicsrepresentsaframeworkwithinwhichthespatialcharacterofeconomicsystemsmaybeunderstood.Weseektoidentifythefactorsgoverningthedistributionofeconomicactivityoverspaceandt
5、orecognizethatasthisdistributionchanges,therewillbeimportantconsequencesforindividualsandforcommunities.Thus,regionalor"spatial"economicsmightbesummedupinthequestion"Whatiswhere,andwhy—andsowhat?"Thefirstwhatreferstoeverytypeofeconomicactivity:notonl
6、yproductionestablishmentsinthenarrowsenseoffactories,farms,andmines,butalsootherkindsofbusinesses,households,andprivateandpublicinstitutions.Wherereferstolocationinrelationtoothereconomicactivity;itinvolvesquestionsofproximity,concentration,dispersio
7、n,andsimilarityordisparityofspatialpatterns,anditcanbediscussedeitherinbroadterms,suchasamongregions,ormicrogeographically,intermsofzones,neighborhoods,andsites.Thewhyandthesowhatrefertointerpretationswithinthesomewhatelasticlimitsoftheeconomist'scom
8、petenceanddaring.Regionaleconomicsisarelativelyyoungbranchofeconomics.Itslatestartexemplifiestheregrettabletendencyofformalprofessionaldisciplinestolosecontactwithoneanotherandtoneglectsomeimportantproblemareasthatrequireamixtureofapproaches.Untilfai
