Rethinking the 'Economy' and Uneven Development: Spatial Disparities in Household Coping Capabilities in Contemporary England

Williams C. C. (2004) Rethinking the 'economy' and uneven development: spatial disparities in household coping capabilities in contemporary England, Reg. Studies 38, 507-518. Work beyond employment accounts for half of total working time in the advanced economies. In order to more fully integrate such economic activity into the study of uneven development, this paper examines the coping capabilities of households, by which is meant their ability to undertake tasks that they define as necessary, and how these vary spatially. Reporting the findings of 861 face-to-face interviews in 11 English localities comprised of higher- and lower-income urban and rural areas, the outcome is not only the identification of spatial economic disparities that markedly differ from conventional depictions but also a reinterpretation of the nature of uneven development.