★ The Political Discourse of Spatial Disparities

Ferenc Gyuris

★The Political Discourse of Spatial Disparities

  - Geographical Inequalities Between Science and Propaganda

Springer Verlag, Berlin–Heidelberg–New York, 2014.

 

 

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Review_The Political Discourse of Spatial Disparities.pdf

 

 

The analysis of spatial disparities has long constituted one of the most popular issues in human geography, and it has also gained considerable attention from representatives of other social sciences (e.g. economics, political science and sociology). This has at least two reasons. on the one hand, the geographical aspect of social and economic inequalities is an outcome of a great many factors, whose explanation belongs to the domain of various disciplines. Hence, a comprehensive investigation and interpretation of spatial disparities is hardly possible without mobilizing the analytical capacity of different fields of interest. on the other, due to the complexity of the issue, the research of geographical inequalities can provide relevant information for several disciplines, which these can utilize in their research practice even in questions not directly related to the spatial dimension. Despite its multidisciplinary relevance however, spatial disparity research has many aspects that to date have been remarkably neglected, although their investigation would be crucial for a better understanding of the phenomenon. - http://books1.scholarsportal.info/viewdoc.html?id=624397#tabview=tab0

 

 

 

1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .. 1
2 The Debate Over Social Disparities and the Disparity Discourse . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .. 7
2.1 Terminology and Meaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 7
2.2 The First Emergence and Development of Social Disparities . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 15
2.2.1 The Origin of Social Disparities . . . . . . . . . . . . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . 16
2.2.2 Intensifying Division of Labor and Its Implications on Social Disparities . . . . 19
2.2.3 Social Disparities and Power Asymmetries in Complex Societies . .  .  . . . .  . . 23
2.3 From Social Disparities to Their Analysis

       - The Tradition of Social Disparity Research . . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . .  . 27
2.3.1 Conceptual Questions to an Analysis of the Debate Over Social Disparities .   27
2.3.2 The Roots of Social Disparity Analysis in Ancient Greece . . .   .  .  .  . .  .  .  . . 29
2.3.3 Additional Concepts to an Understanding of Social Disparities

       - Ancient Rome . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . .. . . . . 33
2.3.4 Thinking About Social Disparities Under the Aegis of Christianity  . . . . . . . . . 35
2.3.5 Concepts About Social Disparities in the Age of Enlightenment

        - The Case of England . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 38
2.3.6 Enlightenment in France and the Issue of Social Disparities  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
2.3.7 Increasing Importance of Disparity Issues in Central and Eastern Europe  . . 44
2.3.8 Social Disparities in the Light of (R)Evolutionary Ideas
         - Darwin and his Reception in the Marxist Approach . . . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . 45
2.3.9 Social Disparities and “The Struggle for Existence”
         - Anti-Marxist Interpretations of Darwin . . . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . 48

2.3.10 Concepts About Social Disparities After World War II
         - Revaluation of the Individual Perspective . . . . . . . . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . 51
2.3.11 Thinking About Social Disparities: Summary of an Historical Overview .. . . . 53
2.4 Which Equality? on the Legitimacy of Two Approaches . . . . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . 53
2.5 Political Importance of the Debate Over Social Disparities .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . 57
2.5.1 Problematization of Social Disparities for Political Identity-Making . . . . . . . . 57
2.5.2 Social Disparity Analysis as Political Discourse . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . 61
2.6 Science as Means of Legitimization in the Disparity Discourse .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . 65
2.6.1 Case Study of a Politically Contested Project by Representatives of Sciences: “The Spirit Level” and Its Reception . . . . . . . . . . . .  .  . . . . . .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
2.6.2 Findings of the Case Study: on the Legitimate Authority of Sciences . . . . . . . 76
2.7 Changing Context and Altering Position of Slogans in the Disparity Discourse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
2.8 Social Disparities and the Disparity Discourse: Sub-Conclusion . . . 83
3 Social Disparities Meet Space and Concepts Surrounding It . . . . . . 87
4 A Contextual Analysis of the Emergence of Spatial
Disparity Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
4.1 Spatial Disparities Without Spatial Disparity Research:
The Pre-modern Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
4.2 A Late Beginning for Spatial Inequality Research After
the Industrial Revolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
4.2.1 The Industrial Revolution and the Emergence
of Social Physics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
4.2.2 A New Fashion in the Anglophone World: Spatial Disparity
Research From “Moral Statistics” to Charles Booth and to
American Social Surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
4.2.3 A Political Discourse in the Making

         - Problematization of Spatial Inequalities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
5 Spatial Disparity Analysis and Anti-Capitalism: The “Classical”
Marxist Tradition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
5.1 Marx, Engels, and the Spatial Aspect of Disparities . . . . . . . . . . . 103
5.2 Rosa Luxemburg and the Concept of “Uneven Spatial
Development” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
5.3 Lenin and the Problematization of “Uneven Spatial
Development” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
5.4 Stalin: The “Basic Economic Law of Socialism” and the Claimed
Communist Solution to “Uneven Spatial Development” . . . . . . . . 110
5.5 The Marxist Approach to Spatial Disparities: Sub-Summary . . . . . 113

5.6 Science as Means of Justification in the Marxist Interpretation
of Spatial Disparities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
5.7 Spatial Disparities and Marxism: A Brief Summary . . . . . . . . . . . 121
6 Non-Marxist Reactions to the Marxist Problematization
of Spatial Unevenness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
6.1 Antecedents in Practical Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
6.2 Spatial Disparities as the Focus of Scientific Interest:
The Cold War Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
6.3 Geopolitical Struggle and the “Relevant” Forms
of Disparity in Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
6.4 Spatial Disparity Research: Analytical and
Propagandistic Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
6.5 The Need for Scientific Substantiation and the Rising Star
of Spatial Economics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
6.6 The Stable Equilibrium Model of the Neoclassic:
Strengths and Weaknesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
6.7 The Criticism of Neoclassical Economics and the
Concepts of Spatial Polarization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
6.7.1 Gunnar Myrdal, the “Vicious Circle” of Polarization,
and a Straight Geopolitical Path into the American
Sphere of Influence for the “Underdeveloped” World . . . . 140
6.7.2 Hirschman’s Technocratic Polarization Model with
Political Overtones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
6.7.3 Williamson’s Inverted U Model: Empirical Background
and Political Implications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
6.7.4 Friedmann’s Concept About Spatial Disparities:
A Technocratic Textbook Permeated by
American Ideology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
6.8 Neoclassical Reactions to Polarization Theory:
Arguing Politically to Sell the Product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
6.9 Spatial Disparity Research in Capitalist Countries
During the Cold War: An Epistemological Conclusion . . . . . . . . . 188
7 Spatial Disparity Research After the Initial Decades of Cold War:
End of the “Golden Age” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
7.1 Reasons for the Decline in the Spatial Disparity Discourse . . . . . . 191
7.1.1 Changing Circumstances in Global Geopolitics . . . . . . . . . 191
7.1.2 Opening Up in Soviet Sciences: The End of Antagonistic
Rivalry in the Scientific Cold War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
7.1.3 Changing Economic and Social Attitudes: Devaluation
of Spatial Equality as a Desirable Goal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
7.1.4 Ambiguities Over the Validity of Scientific Concepts
About Spatial Disparities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
7.1.5 Reasons for the End of the Cold War “Golden Age”
in Spatial Disparity Discourse: A Summary . . . . . . . . . . . 209

7.2 The Spatial Disparity Discourse Re-Evaluated: Neoliberalism,
β and σ Convergence, Endogenous Growth Theories,
and Krugman’s “New Economic Geography” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
7.3 An Alternative Path in Europe: A Neoclassical Boom
in Spatial Disparity Research to the Extent it is Needed
by Policy-Making . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
8 And Yet Spatial Disparity Is a Problem of Capitalism:
Leftist Approaches in a Post-Fordist World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
8.1 Global Inequality as a Product of the World Order:
The Way to Dependency Theories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
8.1.1 A Lonely but Hard Marxist Opinion from the West:
Paul Baran’s View About Global Inequalities . . . . . . . . . . 232
8.1.2 Leftist Theories to Question the US Dominated
World Order by Analyzing Global Disparities:
The ECLA Structuralist Approach in Latin America . . . . . 235
8.1.3 Analyzing Global Disparities to Predict or Urge
for the End of Capitalism: Neo-Marxist Dependency
Theories and the World-System Model of Immanuel
Wallerstein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
8.1.4 The Relation of Factual Knowledge to Orientation
Knowledge in Leftist Dependency Theories . . . . . . . . . . . 245
8.2 Another Approach to Blame Capitalism for Spatial Disparities:
David Harvey, Neil Smith, and the Uneven Development
Concept Rediscovered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
8.2.1 The Marxist Interpretation of Uneven Development
as “The Hallmark of the Geography of Capitalism” . . . . . . 257
8.2.2 Remarks Regarding Blaming Uneven Development on
Capitalism: An Empirical Investigation of “Real Existing
Socialist” Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
8.2.3 Empirical and Theoretical Remarks on the Uneven
Development Concept: A Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
9 Political Functioning of the Spatial Disparity Discourse:
A Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
10 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
11 What to Do with the Discourse on Spatial Disparities?
A Normative Outlook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
Zusammenfassung . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351

 

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