Bodies of water: posthuman feminist phenomenology

TL;DR: In this article, Morrissey looks at both spatial and locational evidence when connecting the marine economy, which has traditionally been seen as part of the peripheral economy, to urban areas.

Abstract: economy. There is also a spatial element to all of the proposed social and economic indicators recommended in the book. It is argued that the focus cannot be solely at the national level as the development of ‘national economic indicators’ are not adequate to represent a comprehensive picture and there is a need to take regional and local level into account (44). In the remaining chapters, these concerns are negotiated and suggestions given on how improvements can be made. Morrissey looks at both spatial and locational evidence when connecting the marine economy, which has ‘traditionally been seen as part of the peripheral economy’, to urban areas (70). The work of Porter (1990) is used to re-examine the idea of ‘marine clusters’ and the context within which we use them, and Morrissey looks at understanding competitiveness from a ‘collective result’ of sectors rather than ‘individual processes’ (109). The Irish Maritime and Energy Resource Cluster is used as an example to explain how appropriate methods can be used to ‘evaluate the relative strengths of the cluster’, which highlights holistic ways of dealing with the multifaceted sector (111). In the chapter ‘From National to Regional to Local: A Spatial Microsimulation Model for the Marine’ a definitive way of incorporating scale and spatial referencing into the scenario is discussed and how this might inform policy is examined. Indicators aim at bringing the focus from the national to regional to ‘local level analysis’ and supporting the importance of understanding the impact of policies not only at the macro level but also at the local level is highlighted (140). A positive of the book, is that it recognises the weaknesses within certain models and applications and that one indicator may not be enough to answer these. Each chapter builds on the next, and by the end, tools with which to deal with ‘Blue Growth’ and the ‘Blue Economy’ effectively have been gained (43). In this evolving field of research, certain approaches are not perfect but identifying these voids and determining how to rectify them can help to improve future projections about the marine sector. As there is no definition of what ‘constitutes a national marine sector’ Morrissey does a capable job of helping to define it and taking it to different levels of analysis (7). Informing policy and managing marine resources in a sustainable way are what underpin the book. Each chapter highlights how policy makers and practitioners might be able to apply the information for future application. This interdisciplinary book is of use to those who are interested in developing and supporting the marine economy in a sustainable manner.