Poles of the Global Economy

Three major poles, North America, Western Europe, and East Asia, dominate the global economy. Each of these poles has a non-exclusive sphere of influence, which is reflected in passengers and freight flows. For North America, this involves Latin American nations, closely linked to the American economy. Africa, Eastern Europe, and

Trade, Connectivity and Spatial Inequalities

A common economic development issue involves how a region can improve its participation in international trade, particularly if it is in a marginal and low connectivity situation. Under such circumstances, improvements in transport infrastructures (modal and intermodal) and the related increase in connectivity are perceived as strategies to foster trade

Global Net Migration (2010-2015)

Source: UNEP (2018): The UNEP Environmental Data Explorer, compiled from World Population Prospects, the 2012 Revision (WPP2012), United Nations Population Division. United Nations Environment Programme. Net migration is the difference between immigration and emigration. A positive number implies that more people are immigrating than emigrating. The factors behind these migrations

Core / Periphery Division of the World

The world can be perceived as a spectrum from core to periphery countries where high development levels, manufacturing systems, a capacity for innovation, and convergence of trade flows characterize core countries. The emergence of core countries is the outcome of a historical process of economic development that began in England

Scales of Spatial Organization for Transportation

There is a hierarchy in the spatial organization of transportation at the local, regional, and global levels, mainly through its nodes, links, and relations. While gateways, supported by port, airport, and telecommunication activities, are the major nodes impacting spatial organization at the global level at the local level, the main

Value Chain Drivers of the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Value chains are a fundamental aspect of the unfolding fourth industrial revolution. Each functional component provides a specific level of added value and is supported by a level of physical infrastructure. They are each shaped by a series of drivers: Research and development. Even if innovation has been a key driver

The Four Industrial Revolutions

The current global manufacturing landscape results from successive innovation and economic development waves, including their geographical accumulation. Although the industrial revolution is often considered a single ongoing event that began in the late 18th century, it can be better understood as four sequential paradigm shifts or four industrial revolutions. Each

Growth of the US Transport System, 19th – 21st Century

Source: adapted from J.H. Ausubel, C. Marchetti, and P. Meyer (1998) “Toward green mobility: the evolution of transport”, European Review, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 137-156. As the case of the United States exemplifies, the growth of modal transport systems went through phases of growth, maturity, and decline. Growth usually

Cumulative Waves of Transport Development

Transportation is often referred to as an enabling technology since its modes, terminals, and infrastructure support and expand economic and social interactions. Transport development tends to be a cumulative process as each new transport technology adds to the capacity and mobility potential of the previous technologies. Larger quantities of freight

Phases of Development of the Global Economy

Globalization is mostly a cumulative process based on changes in the modes of accumulation (how growth is generated) and their functional relations (how growth is structured). The capacity to produce (manufacturing) and distribute (transport) remain fundamental as vectors of economic development. Since the beginning of the Modern Era in the