Environmental economic geography:Recent advances and innovative development

Modern environmental problems are the result of human-environment interaction in the process of industrial-ization.The relationship between economic development and environmental quality is an important aspect of understanding human-environment interaction and has been widely concerned by multidisciplinary researchers.Economic geography(EG)is a discipline that mainly focuses on the location and connections of economic activi-ties.EG has developed to environmental economic geography(EEG)by incorporating environmental factors into its research framework,considering the operational mechanism of the co-evolution of economy and environment,and the dynamic process of green transition of techno-economic paradigms.Studying the resource and environ-mental effects of R&D,production,trade,and other aspects of the economic cycle is beneficial to realizing the“greening”economy.This paper traces the background and theoretical development path of EEG and elaborates on the interaction between EEG and other research paradigms on environmental problems.In recent years,the focuses of EEG are as follows:(1)the“location-environment”relationship of production from the perspective of local actors;(2)the“GVC/GPN-environment”relationship of multinational enterprises and space of flows from the perspective of the global network;(3)the“trade/circulation-environment”relationship from the perspective of national linkages;and(4)the co-evolution of the economic system and environment from the perspective of synergistic evolution,with a focus on innovation and institutional forces.The future development trend of EEG is combined with the endogenous growth theory and the sustainable development theory,mainly from the aspects of endogenous,system integration and multi-scale,to explain the differences in environmental issues of differ-ent regional economic activities,and to promote the development of EEG theory and interdisciplinary research,strengthening the construction of global and regional sustainable development system.

Foreign Manufacturing Investment in China:The Role of Industrial Agglomeration and Industrial Linkages

This paper investigates the forces that determine the industrial distribution of foreign manufacturing investment. It highlights the importance of industrial agglomeration and industrial linkage in attracting foreign investment to manufacturing industries. Using panel data for two-digit manufacturing industries in Beijing during the period of 1999-2004, this study finds that geographically agglomerated industries with strong intra-industrial linkages are indeed attractive to foreign investment. Previous foreign investment has led to the current industrial concentration or foreign investment. Investors also favor capital-intensive and technology-intensive industries, and they tend to be attracted to the most profitable and exporting industries, but avoid industries with high real labor costs and high entry barriers. Competitive local industries that possess comparative advantages are critical for attracting foreign investment. The existence of industrial clusters certainly enhances a city＇s attractiveness to foreign investment.