Cities in the global economy: theoretical and methodological approaches

Abstract

In relation to the question: What explains the new or sudden expansion of the role played by a specific city within the world economy since the beginning of the eighties?, the article takes on two perspectives. On the one hand, it analyses the impact derived from the increase in globalization of economic activity -something which has broadened the scale and complexity of economic transactions- and, on the other, it investigates the growth of the impact of services within the organization of the economy. Bearing in mind that the key process, from the point of view of urban economies, is the growing demand for services by companies in all industries, and the fact that cities are preferred sites by such services production, be it on a global, national or regional level, the article examines in detail the main components of the new discourse that has emerged from the research on world or global cities.