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*Call for Papers* *AAG Annual Meeting Session – Sponsored by the AAG Economic Geography Speciality Group* *New York City, 24-28 February 2012* *Evolution in Economic Geography * Substantive advances have been achieved in the upsurge in interest in evolution in Economic Geography. This plural strand of research has offered much to help understand and explain diversity, variety and heterogeneity in an unfolding economic landscape. Yet, evolutionary approaches in Economic Geography are still “under construction” (Boschma and Frenken 2011: 303) and are wrestling with a number of thorny issues. First, the conceptual and theoretical variants within this research are diverse and have failed to coalesce into a body of work capable of providing consistent theoretical frameworks for systematic and comparative analysis. Second, while methodologies and research designs are acknowledged to be plural they have failed to keep pace with conceptual and theoretical advances. Third, empirical applications of evolutionary approaches have provided much insight but remain limited to a relatively narrow range of economic activities and places in an international context. Last, the engagement of work on evolution in Economic Geography with politics, policy and praxis is markedly under-developed. This session aims to take stock of where we are at and seeks to identify and clarify the challenges in moving evolutionary work in Economic Geography forward. Potential themes of interest, though not exhaustive, might include: - Conceptualising and theorising evolution in Economic Geography - Methodologies for researching evolution - Empirical insights from a diverse array of sectors and geographical contexts - Evolutionary approaches and policy - The politics and praxis of an evolutionary approach to economic development If you wish to participate in this session please submit your abstract by e-mail to Stuart Dawley <s.j.daw...@ncl.ac.uk> and Andy Pike < andy.p...@ncl.ac.uk> at the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS), Newcastle University, UK, by *14 September 2011*. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
