ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests how the concept of local labor market areas may be integrated with theoretical work in the area of political economy. It argues that political economy provides a set of theoretical ideas that are essential to an understanding of inequality in capitalist societies. The chapter discusses the political-economy approach in contrast to the industrial-society approach and key ideas of political economy. It reviews specific political economic models of production and reproduction. The chapter examines models that explain inequality in terms of production and social reproduction. It shows how the concept of local labor market areas can be integrated into the models to provide a basis for the analysis of the spatial dimensions of inequality. The chapter explores the attempts of feminists and other scholars to develop macro-level models of capitalist inequality that deal with the relationships among capitalism, patriarchy, and racial domination. The key concepts of political economy include production, reproduction, and accumulation.
