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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
Q

How has the geography of commodity chains changed over time?

A
  • Previously, most things we consumed were locally sourced.
  • Most commodities have global connections now
  • Emergence of nodes and clustering
26
Q

Node:

A

area of dense activity

27
Q

Commodity circuits link cities to _____

A

the global economy.

28
Q

How does geographic complexity of commodity chains increase with globalization?

A
  • increasingly dynamic - rapid change
  • space shrinking tech
  • subcontracting and outsourcing
  • increased flexibility
29
Q

Service sector circuits are also globalized

A

data processing and call centers

30
Q

Inter-place competition leads to…

A

engagement in dynamic, upgradng strategies.

31
Q

Upgrading strategies

A

Process upgrading (efficiency)

product upgrading (sophistication)

functional upgrading (changing/adding roles to add value)

Intersectional upgrading (move to different sectors)

32
Q

Types of Governance of CC’s

A

Producer driven Circuits

Buyer driven circuits

33
Q

Producer driven circuit

A
  • 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
Q

Buyer driven circuit

A
  • 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
Q

Typical industries of a producer driven circuit

A
  • Automobiles
  • computers
  • aircraft
  • electrical machinery
36
Q

Typical industries of a buyer driven circuit

A
  • Apparel
  • Footwear
  • Toys
  • consumer electronics
37
Q

Concerns of buyer driven chains

A
  • Intense competiton
  • “Race to the bottom” ↓ prod costs (labour + environment)
  • Sweatshops
  • Pollution
  • Difficult to monitor
38
Q

Institutional Contexts of CCs

A

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
Q

Consumption:

A

The sale, purchase, use and disposal of commodities.

40
Q

Consumption produces:

A

social, political, economic relations

41
Q

Uneven consumption

A
  • ability to consume commodities is uneven
  • spatialized in various ways
  • environmental ipact
42
Q

Consumption is a _______ making activity

A

consumption is a place making activity

43
Q

Examples of how consumption shapes landscape

A

vineyard

industrial zones/complexes

landfill

44
Q

Formal Frameworks for institutional contexts of cc’s

A
  • Rules /regulations that determine how economic activity is undertaken

Examples? -trade policy, tax system, incentives, health and safety regulations

45
Q

Informal Frameworks for institutional contexts of cc’s

A
  • Place-specific ways of doing business

Examples?? -entrepreneurial & political cultures of particular places or companies

46
Q

Institutional contexts at different scales

A

 Different spatial scales

          • Local, urban, regional, national,
   macro-regional, global

 Different political scales

           * Vancouver, BC, Canada, NAFTA, WTO
           * Also: corporate strategies, rules
47
Q

Rana Plaza Factory

A
  • April 2013
  • Factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh collapsed
  • Primark one of 40 brands producing
    clothes within Rana Plaza
48
Q

Fair Trade

A

Concerned with increasing economic returns to primary producers.

49
Q

Fair Trade criticized

A
  • 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
Q

Standards & Certification: Issues

A
  • 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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