Michael Dunford is a Visiting Professor, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Emeritus Professor, School of Global Studies, University of Sussex, and Managing Editor of Area Development and Policy. He graduated with B.Sc in Geography and M.Sc in Quantitative Economics from the University of Bristol. His interests are in world development at multiple geographical scales from the local (urban, rural, regional) to the international level and with special reference at different times to Europe and the western world, China and Eurasia) drawing on materialist conceptions of history and geography and on theories of uneven and combined development, regulation and geopolitical economy.