Regional economic development and economic geography are compelling issues for student of political economy, management and public policy because they frame the question of production and place. The study of production and place lies at the heart of issues central to the rise and fall of great powers and great enterprises: international politics and trade, technology development, and the organization and management of production. Production and place are also central to the lives of individuals: They determine the nature of work, the rise and fall of living standards, and in large part, local politics. From the level of the nation-state to the level of the individual, the story of production and place is the story of quality and quantity of jobs.