Economic Geography and Spatial Economics

The Economic Geography and Spatial Economics seminar series brings together scholars who work at the intersection between spatial and urban economics and the more institutionally-oriented fields of economic geography.

Irrespective of the specific methodological approach, research presented in the series is anchored in a shared culture and core research values, which place strong emphasis on theoretically-informed, policy-relevant and evidence-based research.

Some of the seminars are co-hosted by the Department of Geography and Environment and the Centre for Economic Performance.

The series is organised by Dr Carolin Hulke, Dr Elena Renzullo, Dr Felipe Carozzi, Prof Riccardo Crescenzi and Prof Olmo Silva.

These research seminars are a series of expert-led discussions. Unless otherwise noted, they take place at 12.30pm-2pm in CKK 3.15.

If you wish to attend any of the seminars, please email geog.research@lse.ac.uk.

Autumn Term 2025

Thursday 2 October
Ron Martin (University of Cambridge)
'Capitalism Divided? Financialisation, London and the UK’s Spatially Unbalanced Economy'

Abstract: The UK economy is one of the most geographically unequal among OECD countries, with London having pulled increasingly ahead of other regions over the past four decades or so. The UK is also one of the most centralised, in terms of the overwhelming concentration of economic, financial, political and institutional power in the capital, London. A key question, therefore, is whether the latter feature is a contributing cause of the former.

This paper examines this issue, and especially London’s leading role in what until very recently was the UK’s financialised growth model, which itself is now in question. It is often argued that London’s pre-eminence in finance acts as an engine of national growth and delivers benefits to all regions through ‘trickle down’ and other effects. Are these claims exaggerated? A dearth of detailed evidence prevents a rigorous test of this claim. At the same time, little is known about London’s negative impacts on other regions and cities, about the geographical dimensions of what some have labelled the ‘finance curse’. Yet such negative effects are integral to the growth of regional inequality in the UK.

The Conservative Government’s programme of ‘levelling up’, whilst comprehensive in certain respects, was still subordinate to the political prioritisation of London’s financial system, and the same seems to be the case with the current Labour administration. And to add to that bias, there is now the problem of reviving London’s lacklustre economic performance since the financial crisis. One of the major weaknesses and limitations of the past century of UK regional policy has been a reluctance to decentre the national political economy away from London. Although the current spatial policy focus seems to have shifted from ‘levelling up’ to ‘devolution’, will this of itself be sufficient to build a more spatially balanced economy?

Thursday 9 October
Nicola D. Coniglio (University of Bari)
'Despecialization and the evolution of comparative advantages: relatedness, the China-shock and the exit of products from export baskets'

Abstract: The composition of countries’ and regions’ export baskets reflects the broader processes of structural change and economic development. While most studies emphasize the emergence of new export specializations, this paper examines an equally important yet neglected pattern: trade exits, defined as sustained declines in revealed comparative advantage. Using a large sample of countries between 2000 and 2019, we show that exits are widespread, with more than one-third of trade specializations disappearing during this period. We document substantial heterogeneity across countries and sectors and employ econometric models to identify both product-level and country-level drivers of exits. Particular attention is given to the role of product relatedness and to the growing participation of China in the global economy - the so-called “China shock” - in shaping exit dynamics, especially in industrial products.

Our findings highlight the frequency and uneven distribution of trade exits, offering new insights into the dynamics of structural transformation in the global economy.

Thursday 27 November
Aldo Geuna (University of Torino)
'Opening the R&D network: Global academic knowledge sourcing at AstraZeneca'

Abstract: This talk examines the patterns and drivers of international collaborations between industry and academia in the pharmaceutical sector. We adopt a case-study approach focused on AstraZeneca (AZ), using a quantitative methodology to analyze the establishment of international academic collaborations. Drawing on the complete set of AZ-authored publications from 2000 to 2020, we identify instances of collaboration with international academic researchers and explore the influence of both formal mechanisms, such as institutional agreements, and informal factors, such as personal ties, in establishing new academic partnerships, specifically with researchers who had not previously coauthored with AZ scientists.

Our findings indicate a negative but statistically insignificant relationship between institutional agreements and new international academic collaboration, suggesting that such agreements do not meaningfully increase the likelihood of initiating new partnerships. We then examine the impact of international personal ties, including prior employment of AZ researchers at foreign academic institutions. While personal ties alone are associated with a lower likelihood of new international collaborations, this effect reverses when the research involves a new therapeutic area for the firm. Furthermore, in publications that demonstrate high knowledge novelty, the presence of international personal ties significantly enhances the probability of engaging new academic collaborators. Overall, our findings underscore the critical role of international researcher mobility between academia and industry in driving global knowledge exchange and fostering innovative scientific collaborations.

Thursday 4 Decmber
Carlo Inverardi-Ferri (Queen Mary University of London)
'Green accumulation and the geographies of solar production networks'

Abstract: Solar power is today one of the most established renewable energy technologies. At the end of 2024, it had a global capacity of 2 terawatts (TW), and by 2030, it is projected to reach 11 TW, accounting for more than 80% of total renewable capacity growth. Yet, this rapid expansion is marked by social and ecological challenges, as well as new interdependencies, rivalries, and changing constellations of actors and regions.

Driving broader transformations in accumulation regimes, the global photovoltaic (PV) industry is undergoing a profound reorganisation of its production networks, while rising powers, notably China and India, are emerging as central actors in this transition. This talk examines the recent history and shifting economic geographies of the PV industry to highlight some of its contradictions and implications.