AP®︎ Human Geography: Topic 7.7 Flashcards

Condition in which the economic prospects of workers, firms, cities, and countries increasingly depend on decisions and events elsewhere

Contracting work formerly performed within a firm to a separate company, whether domestic or foreign

Moving work to another country, either to a firm’s own facility or to an independent contractor

Locating labor-intensive operations where comparable work can be obtained at a lower cost

A substantial change in an economy’s sectoral or spatial organization, such as shifts toward services, automation, or relocated production

The relative decline of manufacturing as a source of employment and economic activity, even when manufacturing output remains high

A country experiencing rapid manufacturing growth and a transition away from dependence on agriculture or raw-material production

The geographic specialization of economic tasks among countries, with different stages of production assigned according to cost, skill, and other advantages

A designated area where regulations differ from the rest of the country to encourage investment, enterprise, trade, or development

A bounded area where goods may be imported, stored, processed, assembled, or re-exported with reduced tariffs or simplified customs procedures

A zone where imported components are manufactured or assembled into goods intended primarily for export

A Mexican export-processing plant, often near the United States border, that assembles imported components for export

Standardized mass production using assembly lines, large factories, repetitive specialized tasks, and large inventories

Flexible, automated, and geographically dispersed production using varied products, subcontracting, smaller inventories, and global networks

An inventory system in which parts and materials arrive shortly before production needs them, minimizing stored inventory

Reductions in average production cost that occur as output increases and fixed costs are spread across more units

The spatial clustering of related economic activities and institutions

Cost and productivity advantages firms gain by clustering near shared workers, suppliers, infrastructure, services, and knowledge

The additional employment, income, and spending generated when an initial economic investment circulates through a regional economy

An increase in the relative importance of tertiary, quaternary, and quinary service activities in an economy

Industries dependent on scientific research, advanced engineering, skilled labor, and continuing innovation

A concentration of investment and economic activity intended or expected to stimulate development in a wider region