ABSTRACT

The human geography of the UK is currently being reshaped by a number of forces - such as globalisation, transition in the organisations of production, the changing character of state intervention, and changing relationships with Europe. A consideration of the impacts of these forces on economic, social and political landscapes is, therefore, an urgent task. At the same time, enduring institutional features of the British economy and polity are also having important influences on socio-economic processes. The result is a complex mosaic of uneven development, which belies the notion of simplistic regional contrasts.



Rather than simply mapping spatial inequality, 'A United Kingdom?' charts the processes underpinning uneven development at a range of scales and for a number of key topics. The book draws upon and synthesises the latest contemporary research findings and places emphasis on the interrelated nature of economic, social and political geographies. It treats the human geographies of the UK in a coherent and integrated way, and asks whether contemporary processes of change are tending towards the reduction of socio-spatial divisions or their reproduction in new forms.

chapter 1|19 pages

Cartographies and Geographies

chapter 2|14 pages

A Place in the World I

chapter 4|18 pages

Geographies of Production I

Deindustrialisation and Reindustrialisation

chapter 5|20 pages

Geographies of Production II

Sunbelts and New Industrial Spaces?

chapter 6|17 pages

Geographies of Labour Markets

Flexibility and Fragmentation

chapter 9|18 pages

Spatial Divisions of Welfare

chapter 11|12 pages

Subnational Government in the UK

Reconciling Function, Area and Local Democracy

chapter 12|19 pages

Managing Uneven Development

Philosophies, Policies and Impacts

chapter 13|17 pages

Sustainable Geographies?

chapter 14|7 pages

A Place in the World II

Millennial Prospects, Millenarian Visions