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Phase transitions as a cause of economic development

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  • David Emanuel Andersson
  • Ã…ke E. Andersson

Abstract

Economic development spans centuries and continents. Underlying infrastructural causes of development, such as institutions and networks, are subject to slow but persistent change. Accumulated infrastructural changes eventually become so substantial that they trigger a phase transition. Such transitions disrupt the prior conditions for economic activities and network interdependencies, requiring radically transformed production techniques, organizations and location patterns. The interplay of economic equilibria and structural changes requires a theoretical integration of the slow time scale of infrastructural change and the fast time scale of market equilibration. This paper presents a theory that encompasses both rapidly and slowly changing variables and illustrates how infrequent phase transitions caused four logistical revolutions in Europe over the past millennium.

Suggested Citation

  • David Emanuel Andersson & Ã…ke E. Andersson, 2019. "Phase transitions as a cause of economic development," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 51(3), pages 670-686, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:51:y:2019:i:3:p:670-686
    DOI: 10.1177/0308518X18803112
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Stefano Moroni & Ward Rauws & Stefano Cozzolino, 2020. "Forms of self-organization: Urban complexity and planning implications," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 47(2), pages 220-234, February.
    2. Stefano Cozzolino, 2020. "The (anti) adaptive neighbourhoods. Embracing complexity and distribution of design control in the ordinary built environment," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 47(2), pages 203-219, February.

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