The Geographical Organization of Production-Systems

Abstract

In this paper it is argued that a radical reorientation of organization theory and of industrial geography is needed, one that overcomes the limitations of studies that consider plant locations, agglomeration economies, geographies of enterprise, systems of cities, linkage analysis, and the like, separately. I call for a unified approach to industrial location and organization, or, rather, to the spatial division of labor and modes of organization. To do this one must first reopen the question of the division of labor and its obverse, the integration of complex production-systems. One must also go beyond the important inquiry by Scott and others, as to vertical integration/disintegration, to consider a wide range of possible means and modes of organization available, including variations on market exchange, several forms of workplaces, a wide range of firm size and scope, territorial complexes from the industrial district to the nation-state, and differing industry alignments. Last, one must treat geography as integral to the matter of organization, rather than as an outcome of preexisting organizational units that make location decisions. The puzzle of geographical organization is presented as a whole, but without yet trying to put it together for any particular sector, place, or time.