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School of Thought in Social Science and Urban Analysis

Explore the battleground of ideas in social science and urban analysis, covering various schools of thought such as mainstream economics, Marxist theory, institutional economics, and new critiques. Understand the assumptions and language used in these theories and the impact they have on urban development.

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School of Thought in Social Science and Urban Analysis

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  1. benvgEPA 2017 Schools of thought in social science and urban analysis Michael Edwards email: m.edwards@ucl.ac.uk Bartlett School of Planning, University College London

  2. Scope • mainly about economics, geography • but please bring in other social sciences • theories are themselves products of their time • …and emerge as critiques of earlier ones • Purpose of the session • to sketch social science as a battleground of ideas • to sensitise: to watch for assumptions as you read • to warn against uncritical use of language in writing • to consider ‘framing’ as a useful idea/tool

  3. …battleground of ideas • Economics grows with capitalism • Classical economics and international trade in 19th century England • analysis of class relations a central issue • Marx’s critique of political economy • Marginalist economics, ‘utility’ equilibrium and price • central concerns of neo-classical thought • Alfred Marshall, Walras, Jevons (UCL) • Crisis, instability, war • John Maynard Keynes, (+ Michał Kalecki) • Karl Polanyi • Neo-liberal economics from 1970s as response tocrisis in Keynesian/welfare settlement • Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman • Resurgence of Keynesian ideas and of Marxistthought victoria chick @ UCL

  4. …battleground of ideas 2 (getting urban) • Mainstream urban / regional economics • Concern with… • interaction of individuals (firms, consumers, workers) • Supply/demand relationships • determination of prices • efficient and imperfect markets; equilibrium tendencies; optimum • “welfare economics” dealing with “market failures” • externality • public goods • monopoly and imperfect competition • Geographical space as part of the analysis • drawing on neo-classical and Keynesian methods • Recent emphasis on (benefits of) agglomeration in cities • Costs of agglomeration not much discussed; nowhere the costs & benefits interact to produce optimum

  5. mainstream analysis: good examples • Paul Cheshire et al on GDP/welfare losses caused by planning restrictions on housing, office development in UK • how much “tax” are office users paying because densities are limited? • how much cheaper would housing be if unrestricted? • Henry Overman, C Hilber at LSE, successors • Gyurko et al on ‘superstar cities’ in USA • More critical: Ian Gordon LSE, John Tomaney UCL • Mariana Mazzucato on interdependence of state and private capital; innovation.

  6. Mainstream - cont The trouble is that in the UK, even in the very long-run, supply is incredibly unresponsive to demand shocks (i.e., the long-run supply curve is very steep). Why? The main culprit is the UK planning system, which is, in an international context, extraordinarily inflexible. Since 1947 there are virtually no fiscal incentives at the local level to permit development. Local planning authorities face most of the costs of development but have very few benefits from it. Moreover, local homeowners – in the UK perhaps best described as BANANAs (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything) – oppose (virtually) any development in their backyards. Christian Hilber http://spatial-economics.blogspot.co.uk

  7. Gyourko, J., C. J. Mayer and T. M. Sinai (2006)

  8. Institutional economics • Tackles the fact that the world is not only individuals. We have • trade unions • governments • laws • traditions & practices • transaction costs • Ronald Coase, Mancur Olsen • Patsy Healey in planning, Lewis Mumford • Seabrook, Keivani, Parsa etc on property

  9. Marx and marxists; Harvey • Class relations as central focus • Accumulation of capital as the engine • Struggles, contradictions, crises • Distinctive approach to rent, property • David Harvey, geography • Doreen Massey, geography • Ben Fine, Jamie Gough • Costas Lapavitsas on financialisation • Andy Merrifield Doreen Massey, OU

  10. The finance-dominated accumulation regime Capital circulation, surplus value and rents consumption M money capital C commodity capital LP labor power MP means of production P production process C’ increased commodity capital M’ increased money capital s surplus value p profit r rent e profit of enterprise i interest r s i p M´ e Financial placement M consumption simple reproduction Profits reinvested  expanded reproduction C – C´ LP MP P Christian Zeller, from Marx and Harvey

  11. Gibson-Graham New critiques • From environmental position • de-growth • political ecology • green new deal etc • Yvonne Rydin UCL • From gender/diversity perspective • J K Gibson-Graham • New Economics Foundationhttp://neweconomics.org • Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) promoting bottom-up development approaches; challenging agglomeration orthodoxy. • JustSpace.org.uk on London

  12. Framing / re-framing: personal experiences. 1 Housing • Mainstream view of housing as a market with “imperfections” • Challenged by class analysis in which even perfect markets are part of the problem; and more markets. Shelter meeting KPMG at Canary Wharf 2015 Edwards, Michael (2015) Prospects for land, rent and housing in UK cities, Working Paper 18, Foresight Future of Cities Project, Government Office for Science. http://bit.ly/1NvjmV7

  13. Framing / re-framing: personal experiences 2 London Plan • Mainstream view you heard from Rachael Rooney in induction week • Community view from JustSpace.org.uk • & especially the critique of GLA “economic evidence base”

  14. Sources / further reading • Seabright, P. (2004). The Company of Strangers, Princeton UP. An anthropological and refreshingly different approach to the whole of economics. • Varoufakis Y. (1998) Foundations of Economics. A Beginners Companion. London: Routledge. An ultra-readable first book • Cheshire, P C and C A L Hilber (2008) Office Space Supply Restrictions in Britain: The Political Economy of Market Revenge*, The Economic Journal 118(529): F185-F221 • Cheshire, P and S Sheppard (2004) Capitalising the Value of Free Schools: The Impact of Supply Characteristics and Uncertainty, Economic Journal 114(499): F397-424 • Gyourko, J., C. J. Mayer and T. M. Sinai (2006). Superstar Cities. NBER Working Paper 12355 Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=917560 • Harvey, D (2005) A Brief History of Neoliberalism, Oxford: Oxford University Press • Harvey, D (2010) The enigma of capital and the crises of capitalism, London: Profile • HaJoon Chang (2011) 23 things they never told you about Capitalism • David Graeber (2012) Debt: the first 5000 years, Penguin • Gibson‐Graham,J.K. 2008 ‘Diverse economies: performative practices for ‘other worlds’’Progress in Human Geography 32 pp.613‐32. • Edwards on rent theory http://michaeledwards.org.uk/?p=972 • Mazzucato, M. (2013), The Entrepreneurial State - Debunking Public vs. Private Sector Myths, Anthem Press, ISBN 978-0-857282-52-1.with a link to the publisher http://www.anthempress.com/the-entrepreneurial-state

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