This title was first published in 2002. Drawing on a broad range of case studies from the developed and developing world, this volume is the first to examine the complex processes of embedding in an international context. It not only questions the universality of the current model and the policy initiatives it has spawned but also provides a much wider understanding of embeddedness. 'This edited volume presents a unique overview of theoretical and empirical contributions of some of the hotbeds of thinking in economic geography since the mid 1980s, particularly that related to the issue of the social embeddedness of economic action. Different views of this conception are discussed and a wealth of empirical studies presented which draw upon different sectoral, cultural and regional contexts. The selection of articles is especially constructive for it also allows the reader to examine various views of the embeddedness concept from different countries. This book is a valuable contribution to current thinking in economic geography and will help bridge the gap towards the applicability of embeddedness in empirical studies.' Professor Harald Bathelt, Institute of Economic Geography, University of Frankfurt, Germany 'This volume includes valuable explorations of its social dimensions; economic geographers have largely neglected these. Case studies extending well beyond North America and Europe provide a sound basis for questioning current assumptions about the veracity of public policy initiatives based on a rather narrow understanding of embeddedness.' Professor P W Daniels, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham 'For anyone interested in embeddedness, this book is must reading. The book succeeds in drawing out the complexity of the concept and its rich empairical illustrations help to illustrate the conceptual arguments.' Journal of Rural Cooperation