Standort und Raumstruktur. Einige grundlegende Modelle der Raumwirtschaftstheorie

The paper surveys traditional and more recent contributions to the Theory of Regional Economics. It starts by introducing the basic research questions in this field. Then the contributions of von Thünen, Weber and Christaller, explaining the regional distribution of economic activity in agriculture and industry are presented and put in perspective, together with the generalizations of Lösch and von Böventer. Centerperiphery issues, agglomeration-deglomeration forces and the relations between Regional and International Economics are discussed. Finally the paper shifts to the new set up oft the field, called New Economic Geography. The revitalization of the program owns much to Krugman, whose basic model is outlined as a starting point. The paper hints to several attractive extensions of this basic model. The paper, acknowledging the model’s simple and elegant structure, raises however some doubts on its empirical relevance and its value for policy makers. In addition it seems quite poor in institutional detail, compared to the earlier literature.