Economic Geography

A brief concluding remark
Economic geography is an exciting field, and there are many approaches 
to the subject. The key point I’ve tried to make here, by way of reference to my
own work, is that there is no one methodological or philosophical perspective 
that works for each person. Each reader will construct for themselves their own
approach to their research. Each contributor to this book has their own bag of
tricks. What has been of importance for me over my career has been the use of
multiple-methods, and a strong engagement with both primary data and formal
models. At the same time, it has also been very important to be involved with
projects that are in demand in the community, and to invigorate students with a
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Approaching research methods in economic geography
195
strong interest in undertaking economic geographic research. I hope that
economic geographers who read this account of my work will agree with my
multi-faceted thrust to the field. And, I know that they will continue to stake out
their own approach to the field.
Notes
1. Please go to http://faculty.washington.edu/beyers and find a link to my vita for a
compilation of publications.
2. I would guess that I have lectured over 7,500 students in this time period: I am having
the children of former students in my classes these days!
References
Ansoff, H. I. (1965) Corporate Strategy: An Analytic Approach to Business Policy for
Growth and Expansion. New York: McGraw Hill.
Beyers, W. (1972) ‘On the stability of regional interindustry models: the Washington 
data for 1963 and 1967’, Journal of Regional Science, 12(3): 363–74.
Beyers, W. (1974) ‘On geographical properties of growth center linkage systems’,
Economic Geography, 50: 203–18.
Beyers, W. (1976) ‘Empirical identification of key sectors: some further evidence’,
Environment and Planning A, 8: 231–6.
Beyers, W. (1978) ‘On the structure and development of multiregional economic
systems’, Papers of the Regional Science Association, 40: 109–33.
Beyers, W. (1979) ‘Contemporary trends in the regional economic development of the
United States’, Professional Geographer, 31(1): 34–44.
Beyers, W. (1980) ‘Migration and the development of multiregional economic systems’,
Economic Geography, 56: 320–34.
Beyers, W. (1981) ‘Alternative spatial linkage structures in multiregional economic
systems’, in J. Rees, G. J. D. Hewings and H. A. Stafford (eds) Industrial Location &
Regional Systems. Brooklyn, NY: J. F. Bergin.
Beyers, W. (2001) ‘Changes in the structure of the Washington state economy, 1963–1987:
an investigation of the patterns of inputs and the mix of outputs’, in E. Dietzenbacher
and M. Lahr (eds) Input-Output Analysis: frontiers and extensions, pp. 100–20. London:
Macmillan Press Ltd.
Beyers, W. (2002) ‘Culture, services, and regional development’, Service Industries Journal,
22(1): 4–34.
Beyers, W. (2005) ‘Services and the changing economic base of regions in the 
United States’, Service Industries Journal, 25(4): 461–76.
Beyers, W. and GMA Research Corporation (2004) Economic Impact of Arts and Cultural
Organizations in King County 2003, report for ArtsFund, a Seattle nonprofit arts
support organization.
Beyers, W. and D. P. Lindahl (1996) ‘Lone eagles and high fliers in rural producer 
services’, Rural Development Perspectives, 12(3): 2–10.
Beyers, W. and D. P. Lindahl (1997) ‘Strategic behavior and development sequences in
producer service businesses’, Environment and Planning A, 29: 887–92.
Beyers, W. and D. P. Lindahl (1999) ‘Workplace flexibilities in the producer services’, The
Service Industries Journal, 19(1): 35–60.

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Beyers, W. and P. Nelson (2000) ‘Contemporary development forces in the nonmetropol-
itan west: new insights from rapidly growing communities’, Journal of Rural Studies,
16: 459–74.
Carter, A. (1970) Structural Change in the American Economy. Cambridge: Harvard
University Press.
Christopherson, S. (1989) ‘Flexibility in the US service economy and the emerging spatial
division of labor’, Transactions, Institute of British Geographers, 14: 131–43.
Conway Jr, R. S. (1977) ‘The stability of regional input-output multipliers’, Environment
and Planning A, 9: 197–214.
Conway Jr, R. S. and W. B. Beyers (1994) Seattle Mariners Baseball Club Economic
Impact, report prepared for King County, Dick Conway & Associates and Department
of Geography, University of Washington, Seattle.
Friedman, T. L. (2005) The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century. New
York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Gertler, M. (1988) ‘The limits to flexibility: comments on the post-fordist vision of produc-
tion and its geography’, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 13: 419–32.
Leontief, W. (1953) Studies in the Structure of the American Economy. New York: Oxford
University Press.
Lindahl, D. P. and W. B. Beyers (1999) ‘The creation of competitive advantage by
producer service firms’, Economic Geography, 75: 1–20.
Nelson, P. B. and W. B. Beyers (1998) ‘The economic base model in new clothes:
responding to structural trends in the rural west in the 1990s’, Growth and Change, 29:
321–44.
Polenske, K. R. (1970) A Multiregional Input-Output Model for the United States.
Cambridge: Harvard Economic Research Project.
Taylor, M. J. and N. Thrift (1983) ‘Business organization segmentation and location’,
Regional Studies, 17: 445–65.
Wenzl, A. J. (2003) ‘Consumption side up: the importance of non-earnings income as a
new economic base in rural Washington state’, unpublished M.A. Thesis, University of
Washington.

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