Quantitative methods II: How we moved on – Decades of change in philosophy, focus and methods

Abstract

The first of these three reports reprised human geography’s theoretical and quantitative revolutions’ origins, covering the philosophy, focus and methods that dominated their early years. Over the subsequent decades the nature of work categorised as quantitative human geography changed very considerably – in philosophy, focus and methods. This second report summarises those changes, highlighting the main features of the extensive volume of work published over the last five decades, as a prelude to the final report that will focus on the contemporary nature of quantitative human geography and its likely futures.

Population geography I: Epistemological opportunities of mixed methods

“…Some of this quantitative work is concerned with describing patterns and processes for whole populations. Some is primarily concerned with (spatial) ordering, reflecting the origins of quantitative geography (Johnston et al, 2019). Much of the work uses statistical modelling to test associations through hypothesis testing or by understanding and replicating connections within complex systems.…”

“…The interests of population geographers have broadened from the core of the emergent sub-discipline in the mid-20th century, covered in considerable detail in previous progress reports. From focus on measuring population change there has grown concern with processes and experiences, and an engagement with the biographical (Halfacree and Boyle, 1993; Bailey, 2009) to understand ‘lives across space’ (Barcus and Halfacree, 2018), following the changing philosophy of quantitative geography more broadly (Johnston et al, 2019). For migration scholarship in particular, diversification has characterised the substantive and methodological evolution of the last two decades.…”

Geographical Analysis at Midlife

“…Many have written extensively of the larger disciplinary context in which the Quantitative Revolution took place. Johnston et al (2019a, b), for example, offer recent summaries of quantitative geography that cover that well‐trodden territory. Where Geographical Analysis ( GA ) more narrowly is concerned, past anniversary issues have generated a wealth of contributions.…”

Financial geography III: Research strategies, designs, methods and data

“…At the same time, deep down we know that methods are fundamental for the quality of research, just as what happens in the kitchen is crucial for what can be enjoyed in the dining room. This realisation is reflected in many articles and progress reports devoted to methods in human geography, whether quantitative (Johnston et al, 2019) or qualitative (Hitchings and Latham, 2020). Out of 14 reports on financial geography published thus far, however, only one mentions methods (Leyshon, 1998).…”