Evolutionary Economic Geography After Rapid Expansion: Focusing, Extension or Stretching?

Since its launch in 2006, evolutionary economic geography (EEG) has been successfully expanding into the main paradigm of economic geography proper. Such rapid expansion of a paradigm might have negative consequences, as it can potentially lead to conceptual and paradigmatic stretching. Such stretching can lead to the dilution of the original paradigmatic meanings and hence fuzziness, weakening explanatory power. With the help of a bibliometric analysis and literature review, this study maps the expansion and evolutionary trajectory of EEG, examines whether this expansion predominantly takes the form of stretching or the more cumulative processes of focusing and extension, and identifies the substantive characteristics of these three forms of paradigmatic evolution. We find that EEG remains a highly vibrant paradigm: most of its literature contributes through focusing and extension by consolidating or further developing its theoretical mechanisms. Stretching has increased but remains less prominent.