Methodological basis of economic geography (part 1)
Keywords:
economic geography, social, socio-economic, social geography, relationships and influencesAbstract
By the middle of the 60-s years of the XX century, a theory of economic geography occupied a leading position in geographical science and was recognized by the world community of geographers. Scientists were assured that science would be perspective for the future. At that time, the original methods of research were developed, economic and geographical division into districts of the country were carried out, which was used in government plans for future economic development.
However, in the 70-s years of the XX century, the situation has changed and economic geography suffered sharp and informed criticism for scholastic nature of theoretical analysis, narrow regional studies, developed pseudo efficiency, a sharp falling behind the world level. The crisis in economic science began spreading rapidly. In the 20 years of the last century, some scientists had even begun to refer the economic geography to economics.
The crisis had matured a long time from the terrible extermination of the geographical elite in the 30-s-50-s years of the XX century, and in the 60-s after the period of the «Khrushchоv thaw» in the science, occasional people who generated dressing, protectionism, sectionalism, corruption that led to deep crisis of the economic geography «rushed» into it.
Economic geography has formed an uncertainty situation of its status: today, some geographers affirm that economic geography no longer execute its function as an independent science and has became an addition to other sciences. After a long and emotional discussion «the fate» of economic geography was determined – it had become part of other sciences, «social geography» and «social and economic geography». However, new sciences cannot do without economic geography. Therefore, there was a problem to ascertain the current status of economic geography in the system of geographical sciences. In fact, it is a self-sufficient science. To prove this statement, we have determined the ways for further research.
