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ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY > MIDTERM 8 > Flashcards

MIDTERM 8 Flashcards

1
Q

Commodity

A

A commodity is something useful that enters the market

and is available for purchase at a price.

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2
Q

Things to note about commodities

A
  • Commodities are ubiquitous
  • We live in a “commodity economy”
  • Commodification
    • What is it?
    • “Fictitious” commodities
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3
Q

Commodity Circuits

A

Means of tracking and understanding connections and interdependencies among different groups of workers (human & OTH), consumers, firms, institutions and places involved in the production, distribution and consumption of commodities,

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4
Q

Places are connected by ___

A

flows

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5
Q

“Commodity Economy”

A

An economy in which commodities are producing other economies. Almost every aspect of our lives is a commodity for purchase.

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6
Q

Commodities in a subsistence economy

A

Things are generally not for sale. Commodities make up a small percentage of the market.

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7
Q

Commodities in a socialist economy

A

The state takes a bigger role in the distribution of goods/commodities.

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8
Q

Commodification

A

The process by which every more of a material, cultural, political, biological and spiritual world is rendered as something for sale.

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9
Q

Fictitious commodities

A

Something that was not produced for purpose of sale.

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10
Q

Example of fictitious commodities

A

Humans

Land

Water

Air

Animals

Labour

Space

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11
Q

Neoliberalism seeks to _______ everything.

A

commodify

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12
Q

__% of the water in the U.S. is privatized

A

15%

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13
Q

What does “a commodity is a “bundle of social relations” mean?”

A

Commodities are intimately connected with social relations

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14
Q

“broiler chickens”

A

common chicken eaten today

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15
Q

how are broiler chickens commodified?

A
  • Farms - mass production
  • Parts of the chicken are patented
  • Genetically modified for more profit
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16
Q

basic production chain

A

Inputs→ Transformation → Distribution → Consumption

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17
Q

transformation in a commodity chain includes…

A
  • Primary activities (like processing)

* Support activities (like logistics)

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18
Q

Value is added to a commodity chain

A

Value is added to a commodity chain as said commodity moves through the chain

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19
Q

Commodity fetishism

A

Consumers’ concern with the price and appearance of the goods they buy obscures the social relations of production & distribution associated with the goods

(advertising reinforces this disconnect)

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20
Q

How dos the study of commodity circuits undermin fetishism?

A

By revealing connections and interdependencies to:

  • identify winners and losers
  • change how circuits function.
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21
Q

Draw commodity circuit

A

see textbook

22
Q

Workers further along the commodity chain make

A

the most money

23
Q

3 dimensions of CC’s

A
  1. Geography (location, distribution)
  2. Governance (Organization, control)
  3. Institutional Frameworks (Regulations, Laws)
24
Q

Geography of Commodity Chains

A

Refers to the location and distribution of activities.

25
How has the geography of commodity chains changed over time?
- Previously, most things we consumed were locally sourced. - Most commodities have global connections now - Emergence of nodes and clustering
26
Node:
area of dense activity
27
Commodity circuits link cities to _____
the global economy.
28
How does geographic complexity of commodity chains increase with globalization?
- increasingly dynamic - rapid change - space shrinking tech - subcontracting and outsourcing - increased flexibility
29
Service sector circuits are also globalized
data processing and call centers
30
Inter-place competition leads to...
engagement in dynamic, upgradng strategies.
31
Upgrading strategies
Process upgrading (efficiency) product upgrading (sophistication) functional upgrading (changing/adding roles to add value) Intersectional upgrading (move to different sectors)
32
Types of Governance of CC's
Producer driven Circuits Buyer driven circuits
33
Producer driven circuit
- Large TNCs play central controlling role - Capital / technology intensive industries: computers, aircraft, automobiles, pharmaceuticals - Producers control backward linkages (to raw material suppliers) & forward linkages (to distributors and retailers) - "high" wages
34
Buyer driven circuit
- Buyers = large retailers (eg. Walmart, IKEA) or brand name merchandisers (eg. Nike, Gap) play central controlling role - Buyers source manufactured goods globally; outsourcing is common – use of tiers of subcontractors - Labour intensive, “low skilled” production (eg. textiles, toys, shoes) - Buyers shape mass consumption patterns through brand names, advertising - low wages
35
Typical industries of a producer driven circuit
- Automobiles - computers - aircraft - electrical machinery
36
Typical industries of a buyer driven circuit
- Apparel - Footwear - Toys - consumer electronics
37
Concerns of buyer driven chains
- Intense competiton - "Race to the bottom" ↓ prod costs (labour + environment) - Sweatshops - Pollution - Difficult to monitor
38
Institutional Contexts of CCs
International rules and agreements Host country government regulations and preferences Industry-wide standardization and requirements Third-party monitoring activity **Institutional frameworks may be formal or informal
39
Consumption:
The sale, purchase, use and disposal of commodities.
40
Consumption produces:
social, political, economic relations
41
Uneven consumption
- ability to consume commodities is uneven - spatialized in various ways - environmental ipact
42
Consumption is a _______ making activity
consumption is a place making activity
43
Examples of how consumption shapes landscape
vineyard industrial zones/complexes landfill
44
Formal Frameworks for institutional contexts of cc's
- Rules /regulations that determine how economic activity is undertaken Examples? -trade policy, tax system, incentives, health and safety regulations
45
Informal Frameworks for institutional contexts of cc's
- Place-specific ways of doing business Examples?? -entrepreneurial & political cultures of particular places or companies
46
Institutional contexts at different scales
 Different spatial scales • Local, urban, regional, national, macro-regional, global  Different political scales * Vancouver, BC, Canada, NAFTA, WTO * Also: corporate strategies, rules
47
Rana Plaza Factory
- April 2013 - Factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh collapsed - Primark one of 40 brands producing clothes within Rana Plaza
48
Fair Trade
Concerned with increasing economic returns to primary producers.
49
Fair Trade criticized
* Criticized for having little effect on wage workers on plantations or in processing factories * Opens up supply chain to small producers but doesn’t necessarily provide highest prices (eg. compared to specialty coffee), or a living wage * High cost of certification – paid by producers rather than retailers * Only a tiny fraction of producers are certified
50
Standards & Certification: Issues
* Little/no oversight or monitoring * Voluntary compliance * Vague or overly general standards or guidelines * Fees for certification * Benefits entrench existing inequalities (eg. rich farmers benefit more than poor farmers) * As big players get involved they deliberately weaken standards * Environmental conservation and animal rights widely resisted (by rich and poor) * Profit and growth remain primary corporate objective

ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY (15 decks)

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