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This paper is concerned with the geography of finance in the globalising knowledge-based economy, characterised by the proliferation of information and communication technology. More specifically, the paper aims to examine the “locational structure” of financial services in such an economy and its implications for uneven regional development in Europe. In doing so, the paper engages with the concept of “space of flows” and several other theoretical approaches concerned with the geography of advanced producer services and finance. It argues that while such approaches provide a useful starting point, they need be developed further in order to inform an understanding of both the nature and the dynamics of the “locational structure” of financial services and its implications for regional economic development. This point is illustrated in the case of Ireland, focusing on “domestic” banking institutions and “international” financial services operating there. The paper concludes that while “space of flows” provides a useful metaphor for approaching the geography of financial services and other knowledge intensive business services, the conceptual and analytical emphasis should shift towards the “flows of value” that ultimately impinge upon the fortunes of cities and regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent social research that links people's position in society to their ability to access employment has shown the centrality of spatial mobility in the (re)production of patterns of inequality. This is particularly evident in regions where economic activity is unevenly distributed and concentrated in an urban centre and where daily travel patterns reflect a spatial segregation between places of work and residential areas. This paper presents a spatial analysis of accessibility to employment for Galway City and its environs, a predominantly rural region in the West of Ireland dominated by its urban centre. Travel-to-work data from the 2006 Census of Population of Ireland were used to present a comparison of district-specific accessibility levels across three socio-economic groups. Network analysis and Geographic Information System visualisation tools are used to map existing socio-spatial topographies of (in)accessibility. This is done to test two contrasting sets of theoretical proposals in the social science literature regarding the relationship between spatial mobility and social status. Advocates of the first position conceptualise spatial mobility as a form of capital that helps to maintain many existing social hierarchies. This contrasts with the views of those who anticipate the dissolution of established social boundaries ('fluidification') as a result of increased spatial mobility of people, goods, and ideas. It is argued that these contrasting positions are highly relevant to current transport policy debates, including discussions around the impacts of recession-related cuts in transport infrastructure investment on patterns of accessibility. In addition, they encourage reflection on the impacts of sustainable transport initiatives on different social groups that are more or less mobility disadvantaged, a fact that has hitherto received little attention in policy research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]