International, Urban and Regional Economics

The main areas of study in international economics are world trade, international finance and the movement of factors of production, such as labour and capital. The focus of the discipline is both at a micro and macro level: it deals with economic interactions between firms and individuals located in different countries. The tendency in contemporaneous economics is toward a global market, in which products, services, investment capital and labour frequently cross international borders. Urban Economics is the economic study of urban areas. This discipline uses economics to analyze urban issues such as crime, education, public transit, housing, etc. Some questions addressed in Urban Economics are: how and why cities are formed, how land is used within cities, the location of one city relative to another, and the relative size of cities. Regional Economics is a subject concerned with understanding and explaining the geographic configuration of the economy, particularly regarding industrial location, regional development, urbanization, migration, land use, etc.