bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wal-Mart and Small Business: Boon or Bane?
Authors: Hicks Michael J.
Published: March 2021

This paper tests the impact of Wal-Mart discount and superstore presence on the number of small businesses in Iowa counties from 1989-2003. I employ and compare two well-known identification strategies in a spatial autoregressive model. I find no statistically meaningful impact of Wal-Mart on small firms (1-20 employees in three employment ranges), though there is weak statistical evidence that an own-county Wal-Mart increases the number of small businesses while Wal-Marts in adjacent counties reduce the number of small businesses. These results mimic several other studies of Wal-Mart including Hicks and Wilburn (2001), Hicks (2007), and Sobel and Dean (2008).
Profiles in Change: Regional Economic Policy Thus Far in the Obama Era
Authors: Kort John R.
Published: March 2021

This paper is the Fellows Address from the 2009 SRSA conference. This address discusses and evaluates regional economic policy in the Obama Era.
Provision of Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance in Small Businesses: Does Rural Location Matter?
Authors: Shields Martin , Mushinski David , Davis Lisa
Published: March 2021

Because employer-sponsored programs are the predominate means by which most non-elderly Americans are covered by health insurance, there is interest in the extent to which observed spatial differences occur because of structural differences in rural and metro economies. We examine factors influencing the costs employers face in providing health insurance to their employees, and how these costs compare in importance to other firm-level and regional economic factors that may impact their decision to offer health insurance to their workers. Overall, we find that costs, rather than either firm-level characteristics or rurality per se, are the most important determinant.
Spatial Model Specification for Contractual Arrangements between Rural Hospitals and Physicians
Authors: Fannin J. Matthew , Barnes James N.
Published: March 2021

We test sensitivity of model specification on the choice of contractual physician arrangements by hospitals through use of spatially defined covariates, rural/urban subset models, and geographically weighted regression (GWR) models. Results show that hospitals are significantly influenced by neighboring hospitals’ physician arrangement choices whether they are market-oriented or integrated arrangements. Further, some spatial covariates were shown to be nonstationary across space, including variables that were insignificant in the global parameter models. Results suggest health care scholars consider varying parameter models in order to avoid global statements concerning health care relationships and evaluating the performance of health policy.
Underemployment and Local Employment Dynamics: New Evidence
Authors: Bonnal Michaël , Lira Cristina , Addy Samuel N.
Published: March 2021

Workers in occupations that underutilize their experience, training, and skills are underemployed. Underemployment occurs for various reasons including productivity growth, spousal employment and income, family constraints, spatial restrictions, or personal preferences. Underemployment provides opportunities for selective job creation and economic growth. Using local employment dynamics (LED) and a statewide surve of the employed and nonworkers for 2004 and 2005, we examine the interaction between underemployment and LED. We show that poor local labor market conditions accentuate the perception of underemployment and lead to higher level of underemployment. Gender and ethnic differentials are also revealed in the characteristics of the underemployed.
Urban Growth Boundary and Housing Prices: The Case of Knox County, Tennessee
Authors: Cho Seong-Hoon , Chen Zhuo , Yen Steven T.
Published: March 2021

This study tests the hypothesis that a higher present value of expected rental stream of undeveloped land in the urban growth area influences the effect of the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) on the values of newly developed houses in Knoxville and Knox County, Tennessee. We estimate a version of the Box-Cox (BC) transformed hedonic housing price model, which accommodates both non-normality and heteroskedasticity in the stochastic error term. The finding of this study verifies the premise that the values of newly developed houses after the implementation of a UGB are likely to be higher within the urban growth area than those outside, all other things equal.
What Sorts of Agglomerations Really Matter to Productivity?: A Regional Analysis of Europe’s Manufacturing Sector
Authors: Bracalente Bruno , Perugini Cristiano , Pompei Fabrizio
Published: March 2021

The objective of this paper is to analyze the effects on regional manufacturing productivity of various external factors that characterize the economic, social, and institutional environments to which they belong. We define and distinguish here between homogeneous and urban heterogeneous external economies. Hypotheses of the existence and co-existence of the two types of external effects are formulated and tested for six manufacturing subsectors of the regions of 13 western EU countries from 1995 to 2004. Although the available data are far from optimal, the empirical analysis that they enable provides various insights that partly corroborate our conjectures. In particular, the results supply evidence of the generalized beneficial effects of urban heterogeneous agglomeration. They also reveal the complexity and sector-specificity of the effects of industry specialization patterns.
Book Reviews
Authors: Lipscomb Clifford A.
Published: March 2021

“Migration and Human Capital” is reviewed by Nancy White. “Cluster Policies in Europe: Firms, Institutions, and Governance” is reviewed by Mark Henry. “Handbook of Regional Growth and Development Theories” is reviewed by Laura Lamb.
Explaining Geographical Differences in Water Prices: Do Institutional Factors Really Matter?
Authors: Bae Suho
Published: March 2021

The availability, price, and quality of infrastructure services vary considerably across regions. This paper analyzes which elements significantly contribute to geographical differences in water prices. For empirical analysis, it employs water supply price and demand equations under a system of simultaneous structural equations. Several institutional factors explain geographical differences in water prices, such as prior appropriation water rights versus riparian rights, pricing structures, combining water bills with other bills, and other infrastructure. Water rate regulations by public utility commission also have some negative effects on water prices. State environmental regulations and commitments contribute to higher water prices, especially for non-residential water users.
Regional Unemployment Clusters: Neighborhood and State Effects in Europe and North America
Authors: Garcilazo Jose Enrique , Spiezia Vincenzo
Published: March 2021

Recent nonparametric studies find that the regional distribution of unemployment rates is more dependent on geographic location (neighborhood effects) than on national factors (state effects). These results, however, do not control for stochastic dependency between neighborhood and state effects (joint effects) and do not provide any measure of their relative size. In this paper, we construct a simple measure that is invariant in space and across time and compare state, neighborhood, and joint effects in Europe and North America. We find that neighborhood effects are stronger than state effects in Europe, whereas in North America the size of the joint effect is such that one cannot say which effects prevail.
Spatial Modeling of the Migration of Older People with a Focus on Amenities
Authors: Jensen Tomas , Deller Steven
Published: March 2021

Using U.S. county-level migration data from the 2000 Census, we examine patterns of migration of older people. This study makes three contributions to the literature. First we focus attention on differences in migration patterns of older people by separately modeling four age classifications. Second, using Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR), we look for and find significant spatial variation in the determinants of migration of older people. Third, because many older migrants relocate purely for quality of life, we examine the role of amenities, both natural and built, in explaining migration patterns.
The Growth of Texas Counties in the 1990s: The Roles of County Size and Industry Clusters
Authors: Mollick André Varella
Published: March 2021

Blending regional studies with growth econometrics, we apply the seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) methodology to income, employment, and population growth over 1990-2000 for all 254 Texas counties organized in 24 geographic regions. Several results are discussed, along with the role of wages in the adjustment process. First, there is support for the convergence hypothesis on real income per capita, along with persistence in employment and population. Second, large metro areas and non-metro rural areas adjacent to metro areas grow much faster than purely rural areas. Third, we find strong links between economic growth and the more technologically advanced clusters.
Intra-NAFTA Trade in Mid-South Industries: A Gravity Model
Authors: Funk Mark , Elder Erick , Yao Vincent , Vibhakar Ashvin
Published: March 2021

Using a rich dataset on traffic between members of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), this paper examines industry-level trade growth since the implementation of NAFTA for five Mid-South states. Gravity model results show significant disparities across states and industries. For exports within the NAFTA region, the results show large differences in growth rates both between states and between industries. For imports within the NAFTA region, the growth rates vary more between industries than between states. Our results also confirm the importance of intra-industry trade in the U.S.-Mexico trade relationship and suggest a considerable relocation of production linked to trade between NAFTA members.
An Application of the Regression Analogue of the Demographically Enhanced Shift-Share Model
Authors: Brox James , Carvalho Emanuel
Published: March 2021

The objective of this research is to investigate employment patterns by age-sex specific cohorts through the application of a modified version of the shift-share model and in the process incorporating the Patterson (1991) regression analogue. Are older workers becoming unemployed or encouraged to take early retirement? Has the shift to less physically demanding employment across industries benefited females? The results of this study clearly indicate that adult workers have fared better than either younger or older workers in terms of relative employment growth, suggesting that the trend towards early retirement has not significantly reduced the employment problem facing younger cohorts.
Trade Liberalization and Location: Empirical Evidence for Mexican Manufacturing Industries
Authors: Jordaan Jacob A. , Sanchez-Reaza Javier
Published: March 2021

In this paper, we provide evidence based on New Economic Geography Models and estimate the statistical effects of second nature advantages to shed some light on the locational transformation of the manufacturing sector in Mexico. Changes in regional industry shares and regional wages during trade liberalization show that the border states have gained at the expense of the old manufacturing belt in Mexico City. Furthermore, the statistical evidence indicates that that the relevant market has shifted from Mexico City to the USA. However, the relation between trade liberalization and industry location is subject to a considerable level of industry heterogeneity, suggesting the co-existence of processes of regional convergence and divergence.
The Role of Agritourism in Western States: Place-Specific and Policy Factors Influencing Recreational Income for Producers
Authors: Wilson Joshua B. , Thilmany Dawn , Watson Philip
Published: March 2021

While public investment in conservation such as the Conservation Reserve and Wetlands Reserve Programs have improved the environmental state of the lands, they have not provided an institutional means for production and profit expansion for the same acreage. This type of public investment places constraints on the lands agriculturally and in return provides rents to land owners. As a complement to this income, CRP and WRP may also contribute to a series of recreational opportunities outside of the generalized uses for farm land. The research question proposed is:does public investment in natural resources pay off through expanded opportunities in agritourism? Agritourism includes recreational activities such as hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing. This research explores the viability of operating such alternative uses for agricultural lands while maintaining the integrity of the conservation program in which the same acreage is coincidently enrolled. Ultimately three econometric models were generated in attempt to explain the influence of various explanatory variables on recreational services revenue. In addition to the econometric analysis, ArcGis 9.0 was implemented to assess geo-spatial factors influencing the dependent variable.
Policy Research in the Review of Regional Studies
Authors: Smith Stephen M.
Published: March 2021

Researchers in regional science generally describe their work as policy oriented. This paper examines articles in the Review for 1990-2002 to determine the extent to which they address policy, at three levels. A context for examining policy orientation is developed, and articles are judged within this context. Less than half of the articles focused on or mentioned policy. Of those that did, questions are raised about the usefulness of the policy recommendations or conclusions.
Annual Estimates of Human Capital by State: 1976-2000
Authors: Hunt Gary L. , Trostel Philip
Published: March 2021

Aggregate and average human capital per worker in each of the 50 United States are estimated using microdata from the Annual Demographic File (ADF) and outgoing Rotation Groups (ORG) of the Current Population Survey for 1976-2000 and 1979-2000, respectively, and are compared to one another and to recent estimates from Mulligan and Sala-i-Martin (1997, 2000). The growth-rate patterns produced substantial mixing in the state distribution of average human capital per worker and unconditional beta convergence. Aggregate human capital growth rates are dominated by workforce scale effects that strongly favor southern and western regions.
Natural Amenities and Rural Employment Growth: A Sector Analysis
Authors: Henderson Jason R. , McDaniel Kendall
Published: March 2021

Natural amenities have always been important to rural America. Places with high natural ameni-ties enjoyed higher levels of employment, population, and income growth. However, the relationship between natural amenities and employment growth varies by industry and natural amenity type. Natural amenities do support the quality of life in rural areas. Yet, their impacts on service and retail sectors are more pronounced, with landscape amenities having greater impacts than weather amenities.
Regional Productivity Differentials in Three New Member Countries: What Can We Learn from the 1986 Enlargement to the South?
Authors: Dall’erba Sandy , Kamarianakis Yiannis , Le Gallo Julie , Plotnikova Maria
Published: March 2021

The recent enlargement of the European Union (EU) will lead to unprecedented reforms of regional policies. We examine the regional distribution of gross value added, employment, and productivity for the Polish, Hungarian, and Czech regions, and compare them to the EU-15 average for the 1990-2000 period. We study their per capita incomes relative to the EU average and how these gaps are related to differences in productivity per worker. Finally, we use Esteban’s (2000) shift-share analysis to explore the extent to which regional productivity gaps are due to differences in industrial mix as opposed to region-specific factors. The results are compared to figures for the Spanish and Portuguese regions a decade before their entrance to the EU.
Do Geographic Entry Restrictions Increase Car Prices?
Authors: Walden Michael L.
Published: March 2021

Many states allow existing retail vehicle dealerships to challenge the entry of new competitors. Earlier studies found these restrictions resulted in higher vehicle retail prices. However, the studies used average vehicle prices or proxies for average prices and were not able to control for the numerous features and amenities that differentiate vehicles. The previous work was also conducted prior to the development of Internet shopping. This study tests the impact of state entry restrictions using a new data set that addresses these issues. Regression analysis finds that states having entry restrictions on new dealerships do not have higher vehicle prices.
A Spatial Analysis of Housing Growth
Authors: Cho Seong-Hoon , English Burton C. , Roberts Roland K.
Published: March 2021

This study accounts for spatial spillover and spatial heterogeneity to estimate housing growth between 1990 and 2000 using Tennessee census-block group data. A deterministic estimation method, inverse distance weighted averaging is used to create neighborhood variables that can capture more accurate measurement of spatial spillover while reducing multicollinearity. The block-group specific local effects on housing growth are computed using locally weighted regression, and they are mapped using a geographical information system.
Interregional Migration in Spain: A Semiparametric Analysis
Authors: Maza Adolfo , Villaverde José
Published: March 2021

This paper analyses the determinants of internal migration in Spain between 1995 and 2002. After a brief descriptive study, we present an analytical model of internal migration flows. Subsequently, we estimate this model by applying semiparametric techniques. The general conclusion to which we come is that net migration rates are influenced mainly by income and climatic condition differentials between the regions of origin and destination; in addition, unemployment and housing price differentials seem to have a much weaker effect while variables such as aggregate unemployment, on the one hand, and human capital and population density differentials, on the other, do not affect net migration rates.
Education and Nonmetropolitan Income Growth in the South
Authors: Henry Mark , Barkley David , Li Haizhen
Published: March 2021

This research evaluates the effects of higher stocks of human capital (measured by the share of adults with some college) on growth in county per capita income using a Mankiw, Romer, and Weil type model adjusted for spatial dependence and capital stocks. Regressions based on county data from the 1970-2000 censuses for the 15 southern states indicate that metro counties realized more of a “growth premium” from added human capital than nonmetro counties. With nonmetro counties, service-based counties generally fared best from enhanced human capital.
Perplexity, Complexity, Metroplexity, Microplexity: Perspectives for Future Research on Regional Growth and Change
Authors: Plane David A.
Published: March 2021

In this paper I make some summarizing comments regarding the papers in this special issue. I argue that we have entered a product-specialization stage in regional science scholarship and that there may now be a need for some broad synthesizing research such as that characteristic of earlier years of the research venture. I contend that studies of regional growth and development constitute “the highest form of the regional scientist’s art.” And I argue for greater consideration to be given to disaggregating our variables by demographics and paying greater attention to geographic units and scales. In that spirit, I present some information about the forthcoming new system of Core-Based Statistical Areas. I use an experimental version of the new system of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas to illustrate some urban-scale effects evident in recent county-level growth trends.
Convergence Across Spanish Regions: New Evidence on the Effects of Public Investment
Authors: Gonzalez-Paramo Jose Manuel , Martinez Diego
Published: March 2021

We examine the empirical relationship between public investment and per capita income growth in the Spanish regions over 1965-1997. Using a neoclassical growth model with public and human capital, a convergence equation is derived and estimated using panel data techniques. Besides providing evidence of conditional convergence, the results show a non-positive effect of productive-public investment on the rate of regional economic growth. The impact of public investment in education and health is not clear. Robustness checks addressing potential endogeneity and specification problems reaffirm our results. It is concluded that there are no simple recipes for effective regional investment policies.
Reconsidering the Southern Black Belt
Authors: Gibbs Robert M.
Published: March 2021

The portion of the South known as the “Black Belt” lies at the heart of what was once the cotton-and-tobacco plantation region and retains a large black population. Despite the Black Belt’s high poverty rates and relatively slow economic growth, its large net loss of blacks to urban areas over the course of the twentieth century has effectively ended and more are now returning. Rural southern blacks still face a low-wage economy and their prospects are conditioned by a legacy of both southern agricultural paternalism and, due to interregional migration, inner-city decline. A number of writers have noted the importance of familialandcommunity ties for returnees and express cautious optimism about their abilities to further erode the region’s old social and economic barriers. More generally, anti-poverty strategies in the Black Belt, public and private, will be successful only insofar as they are sensitive to the social exclusion that continues to restrict the full participation of blacks in rural southern labor markets and civil society.
The Role of Beliefs and Cultural Attitudes in Economic Development
Authors: Hefner Frank
Published: March 2021

Does it matter what people within a region think or believe? Human capital has long been recognized as a determinant of economic development. More recently, social capital has been considered. This paper looks at the role of beliefs and cultural attitudes in economic development. The paper concludes that culture establishes the path in the evolution of economic development, but the path is not deterministic.
Exploring vs. Exploiting Advantages in Industrial Districts
Authors: Malina-Morales F. Xavier , Lopez-Navarro M. Angel , Julve Jaume Guia
Published: March 2021

This paper proposes a theoretical integration of social capital and territorial perspectives for the study of industrial districts. Industrial districts benefit from fine-grained information and tacit knowledge exchanges and from norms and values that promote cooperation. These characteristics benefit individual firms for the exploitation, rather than exploration, of technologies and opportunities. We suggest that proximity facilitates the creation of third-party relationships, such as those between firms and regional institutions. These institutions provide individual firms with indirect links to sources of knowledge from outside the district. In order to give support to our theoretical argu-ment we examine the Spanish ceramic tile industrial district and focus on the role played by the Institute of Ceramic Technology as an illustrative case.
Targeting Economic Diversification: An Application of Target MOTAD Procedures
Authors: Harris Thomas R. , Seung Chang K. , Narayanan Rangesan
Published: March 2021

With rapid change in national, state, and local economies, many economic development agencies and practitioners have attempted to diversify state and local economies to minimize the variability of state and local economic activity. However, minimizing variability may reduce expected economic growth, which may run contrary to the desires of state and/or local officials. This paper applies Minimization of Total Absolute Deviations (MOTAD) and Target Minimization of Total Absolute Deviations (Target MOTAD) for economic diversification plans. MOTAD procedures,· which are a linear programming algorithm for portfolio analysis, minimize positive and negative deviations from mean growth rates. Target MOTAD, unlike portfolio variance and MOTAD procedures, minimizes only negative deviations from targeted economic growth rates. Economic diversification plans derived from MOTAD and Target MOTAD procedures are compared and contrasted.
Devolution and the Evolution of Regional Science
Authors: Stallmann Judith I.
Published: March 2021

Devolution is an institutional issue with several dimensions-space, ownership, and time. Because it has a spatial dimension, regional scientists are well positioned to contribute to the devolution debate. The transition from public to private ownership can create incentives for corruption. To address transitions we will need to draw on sociology and political science. Because they are more centralized, southern states may be less institutionally equipped to handle devolution than other states. Rural local governments are also less equipped than urban governments to handle devolution. Regional scientists can assist local governments with analysis and training.
Regional Science and Ecological Economics: The Case of Nauru
Authors: Cumberland John H.
Published: March 2021

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the view that regional science is a multidisciplinary field. Regional science and ecological economics, in particular, are complementayr disciplines offering challenging opportunities for mutual enrichment.
Soft Variables in Regional Science
Authors: Malecki Edward J.
Published: March 2021

This paper outlines briefly how “soft” variables related to social, political, and psychological phenomena are involved in issues central to regional science, such as development. The discussion centers around three concepts-knowledge, social capital, and institutions-that influence or catalyze economic development. Each of these concepts has crept into regional science over the past decade, but they have not been integrated into our mainstream understanding of how development takes place. These soft variables may be more important to regional and local economies than the traditional considerations of economic development.
Size Matters: Why Regional Science Needs to Think Bigger
Authors: Gibson Lay James
Published: March 2021

As regional scientists we are preoccupied with our scientific work, and this is as it should be. But from time to time it is worthwhile to step back and think about the business of regional science-the organizations that hold us together, the publications that help us build a body of knowledge, and the meetings that give us a sense of community. When these topics come up, the conversation usually focuses on concerns about new and innovated research strategies, about research quality, and about scientific rigor. The idea, of course, is that if we are good scientists the rest will take care of itself. This is a noble idea and a naive one. In the competitive environment that we operate in we cannot, I think, operate as a boutique field indefinitely. If we do not get bigger, we run the risk of getting lost in the shuffle. I am convinced that size really does matter.
The Role of Regional Science in Migration and Population Research
Authors: Plane David A.
Published: March 2021

This article considers regional science’s role in contributing to migration research, and population research more generally. Beyond the intrinsic appeal of regional science’s systems approach, migration analysis was one of our multidisciplinary field’s success stories from the late 1960s through the early 1980s because of a widespread production of results that were of inherent interest, that were in some cases controversial, and that were successful in provoking policy discussions. My main argument is that we experience the validation of our belief in the importance of analytical, theory-driven perspectives on the world when the theoretical expertise and analytical rigor of regional science methods can be brought to bear on real-world empirical issues. Consequently, I argue that we should make population analysis an important, foundational element in regional science training.
The Southern Regional Science Association and The Review of Regional Studies: History and Characteristics
Authors: Durden Garey C. , Knox Hugh W.
Published: March 2021

This paper summarizes some characteristics of the Southern Regional Science Association (SRSA), attendance at yearly meetings of the SRSA, and the participation of individuals and institutions in presented paper sessions at those meetings. We also provide a detailed analysis of publishing performance, by individuals and institutions, in The Review of Regional Studies, which is the official publication of the SRSA.
Legislator Influence and Public School Finance
Authors: DeBoe Larry , McNamara Kevin T. , Cranfield John , Graham Thea
Published: March 2021

We test several hypotheses about coalition forming in legislatures using data on Indiana school finance from the 1990s. School district state aid per pupil is regressed on district characteristics and political characteristics of each district’s legislators. Results show no evidence of policy cycling. A new coalition appears to have formed in a year when a new party took power in the House. Smaller districts, and districts represented by new legislative leaders, appear to gain aid in new coalitions. There is evidence that legislators seek equalization, but perhaps only under threat of litigation.
The Linkage Between State and National Output: A Case Study of Connecticut
Authors: Ahking Francis W. , Pattanapanchai Maneechit
Published: March 2021

We test for the short-run and long-run relationships between the Connecticut real gross state product and the U.S. real gross domestic product using quarterly data and a number of different statistical approaches. Quarterly observations on Connecticut real gross state product are not generally available to the public and the series is one of a few such series available. This presents a unique opportunity for such research. Our results show that these two series are not cointegrated for the full sample of 1969:1 to 1995:3, but are cointegrated for a shorter sample period from 1969:1 to 1988:4. For the period from 1969:1 to 1995:3, we find unidirectional causality from the U.S. real gross domestic prod-uct to the Connecticut real gross state product.
Manufacturing Specialization in the Southeast: Rural Necessity, Rural Possibility, or Rural Vestige?
Authors: Wojan Timothy R. , Lackey Steven Brent
Published: March 2021

This paper examines the validity of three alternative rationales for industrial specialization in rural areas. Manufacturing specialization can be explained by 1) the greater efficiency of very large plants; 2) the “localization” advantages identified with a number of firms in the same industry locating near each other; or 3) a strategy to gain bargaining power in isolated rural labor markets by a dominant employer. Eleven logistic regressions are estimated for each of the specializations identified using cluster analysis. At least one of the explanations is supported in each of the specialization regressions, but differ-ent explanations charaterize the various industries.
Town Specialization and the Relationships Between Occupation Employment and Industry Employment
Authors: Mulligan Gordon F.
Published: March 2021

This paper uses OLS regression to analyze the relationships existing between occupation jobs and industry jobs in small southwestern U.S. towns. First, occupation employment in the representative town is estimated from its industry employment. Then the towns are classified into different specialties, including the following five types: diversified, government, manufacturing, mining, and service and trade. Type-specific regression estimates follow, showing how occupation employment differentially responds to industry employment in towns having different economic bases. Using previous results from the Arizona Community Data Set, both short-run (impact) and long-run (projection) occupation employment estimates are given for basic employment changes in a hypothetical community.
Water for Arid Regions: An Economic Geography Approach
Authors: G. Lopez Juan Carlos
Published: March 2021

This paper develops a two-region trade model to consider how the uneven allotment of water resources and the availability of interbasin water transfers affect the intraregional distribution of land between urban and agricultural use and the interregional distribution of the population when regions vary in natural amenities, agricultural productivity, and urban agglomeration economies. In each region, urban and agricultural sectors compete over a fixed quantity of land and agricultural goods face transport costs. Three different trade regimes for the agricultural good are considered: autarky, incomplete specialization, and complete specialization. Under autarky, a rise in the agricultural productivity of the water importing region increases the local urban sector. Once regions begin to trade, an increase in the agricultural productivity of the water importing region increases the urban sector in the water exporting region. An increase in natural amenities in the water importing region increases the local urban population driving agricultural production to the less productive water exporting region. Urban agglomeration economies have a small impact when the population is more evenly divided but large impacts when there are large population differences between regions. Reductions in the available supply of water increases both water and agricultural prices and may reduce the quantity of land devoted to agricultural production. A graphical example is presented to show the impact of the parameters on land use patterns, population size and regional prices. The model is then calibrated to reflect stylized facts for California.
The Impact of Casino Gambling on Charitable Contributions: The Willingness to Contribute to a Local Public Television Station
Authors: Schwer R. Keith , Daneshvary Rennae
Published: March 2021

This study examines factors that influence Las Vegas residents’ willingness to pay (WTP) to maintain public television programming locally. Though previous research has investigated WTP for public television, this study is unique in that it examines the impact of casino gambling on giving. A mail survey with two follow-ups yielded 1,054 surveys-880 surveys provided complete information on the variables used in two analyses, 557 in a third. Statistically significant effects were found in models estimated with Tobit models; however, we failed to find a significant reduction in contributions to public television with higher levels of gambling behavior.
Adoption of Just-in-time Manufacturing By Rural and Urban Plants
Authors: Gale Jr. H. Frederick
Published: March 2021

This study investigates the effect of rural location and access to other firms on adoption of just-in-time (JIT) and access to JIT-using customers in a sample of plants representing all manufacturing industries. Nonmetropolitan location, proximity to other firms, and interstate highway access do not appear to be important determinants of JIT involvement. Plants in the East North Central and Mountain regions are more likely than those in the Pacific region to be involved in JIT, when other characteristics are held constant. A number of plant characteristics, including plant size, ownership, age, workforce education, and use of marketing assistance, have significant effects on JIT involvement. However, the statistical models appear to have relatively little explanatory power, suggesting that JIT involvement is largely determined by factors not measured by the model.
Professional Sports and Urban Development: A Brief Review of Issues and Studies
Authors: Campbell Jr. Harrison S.
Published: March 2021

The relationship between professional sports and cities is an important public policy issue that has received growing attention in the academic literature. Investment in sports facilities is frequently rationalized on the basis of economic impact and positive spillover effects to cities and regions, yet there is mounting suspicion that professional sports have only a marginal impact on their surrounding area. Why are professional sports so important? What factors help explain the recent stadium construction boom? What promise do sports and new stadium construction hold for urban development? This paper reviews recent literature on these subjects and highlights some of the conceptual and empirical difficulties in assessing the role of sports in urban development.
Labor Productivity and Wages in Rural and Urban Manufacturing Plants
Authors: Gale Jr. H. Frederick
Published: March 2021

Plant-level data from the 1993 Survey of Manufacturing Technology matched with the Census of Manufactures are employed to explore rural-urban patterns of production worker wages and productivity. Rural-urban wage dif-ferentials diminish, but are still significant, when productivity, plant, and location characteristics are controlled for. Differences in the nonproduction worker share, schooling, and a compensating differential for housing costs appear to make important contributions to the rural-urban wage differential.
Determinants of Total Factor Productivity, Technological Change, and Efficiency Differentials Among States, 1977-86
Authors: Domazlicky Bruce R. , Weber William L.
Published: March 2021

Significant differences in the growth rates of total factor productivity (TFP) exist among states. In this study, the sources of differences in TFP growth, technological change, and average efficiency levels for states in the period 1977-86 are identified. Rather than focusing on just the manufacturing sector, the present study is concerned with TFP growth and technological change for all (aggregated) sectors. Results from the study indicate that policies to attract manufacturing industries and private capital will increase TFP growth, primarily by increasing technological change. States with lower levels of production efficiency can move closer to their production frontiers by improving the quality of the labor force (education, for example), attracting private capital and, in the case of states with very large metropolitan areas, by encouraging the decentralization of economic activity.
An Improved Technique for Obtaining Current Sub-state Income Estimates
Authors: Eff E. Anthon
Published: March 2021

This paper compares some specifications for estimating current sub-state (county or MSA) income. A large number of trials are generated, using the data for Tennessee, in a procedure akin to a series of Monte-Carlo experiments. The out-of-sample forecast errors are examined to see which specifications perform best, and then to obtain some insight into the approximate error one would obtain using the best specification.
Lessons from the Glass Ceiling and the Black Box
Authors: West Carol T.
Published: March 2021

This article is based off the 1996 SRSA Presidential Address. It discussed women in the field of economics and regional science.
How Much Income Variation “Really” Exists within a State?
Authors: Walden Michael L.
Published: March 2021

A procedure for estimating price indices in localities within one state, North Carolina, is presented and implemented. The paper makes a number of improvements over previous work, including estimating the association between local prices and national prices, and testing the potential capitalization of local taxes and public output into local prices. Intrastate income variation is reduced when the price index estimates are applied to nominal per capita incomes.
Targeting Occupations for Displaced Workers: A Test in Wisconsin Regions
Authors: Thompson Eric , Shaffer Ron
Published: March 2021

The regional portfolio variance technique and the National Industry-Occupation Employment Matrix are used to identify re-employment options for workers displaced during recession. The technique developed identifies sectors that create jobs during recession in occupations that displaced workers can fill quickly without substantial retraining or migration from the region. The compatibility between the occupations of displaced workers and the jobs created in growing sectors is based on the occupation-changing behavior observed in the Current Population Survey, January /990, Special Survey of Dis-placed Workers. The sectors which created the most jobs compatible with the skills of a selected group of displaced workers tended to be in the workers’ former major industry group, although sectors with compatible occupations were found in a wide variety of industries.
The Impact of Forest Land Use on Regional Value Added
Authors: Marcouiller David W. , Schreiner Dean F. , Lewis David K.
Published: March 2021

Rural development policies frequently target the enhancement of regional value-added activities. The effectiveness of such policies is typically analyzed in aggregate terms. Aggregate measures include total number of jobs created or total value-added impact. Regional economic development, however, is more complex and includes components such as income distribution, wage/skill levels of jobs created, and impacts on factor ownership. Evidence from other studies suggests that the Southern United States will experience significant increases in timber production intensity during the next 50 years. The connection between raw material production and processing has important effects on the creation and distribution of value added. In this paper, the impact of sustainable timber production on income distribution in a highly timber-dependent region was analyzed, using a social accounting matrix with mixed exogenous/endogenous accounts that specify the forward linkages of raw material production to primary and secondary wood processing.
Government Size and Regional Economic Growth: Another Look
Authors: Domazlicky Bruce R.
Published: March 2021

A production function approach is used to explore the effect of government size on economic growth in the forty-eight contiguous states during the period 1977-89. Following Durden and Elledge, government employment is used as the measure of government size. The results indicate that the growth rate of gross state product (GSP) is not related to government size and the growth rate of per capita GSP is negatively related to government size. The conclusion is that there is little evidence of a positive effect of government size on regional economic growth.
Southern Regional Economics in the 1990s: Back to Basics?
Authors: Kort John R.
Published: March 2021

This paper summarizes the Presidential Address at the 1994 SRSA Conference. The address discusses the future of southern regional economics
Employment Changes in the European Economic Community: A Shift-Share Analysis
Authors: Ray Margaret A. , Harvey John T.
Published: March 2021

The countries that make up the EC ” … are well into the process of complete economic integration” (Hailstones and Mastrianna 1991). The EC has become an established free trade zone and as such has become a relatively homogeneous economic region. While many studies have investigated the overall impact of the EC, few have focused on intraregional differences. The establishment of a single Europe allows for the study of Europe using traditional techniques of regional analysis. This study uses shift-share analysis to disaggregate employment changes in the EC to isolate differential impacts on member countries. This will provide information for current and potential EC members deciding on the appropriate level of participation.
Delineating Spatial Markets Using Multivariate Time Series
Authors: Benson Bruce L. , Faminow Merle D. , Marquis Milton H. , Sauer Douglas G.
Published: March 2021

Recent advances in multivariate time series modeling techniques have produced statistical concepts and methods that may surpass many of the economic and antitrust market delineation procedures currently in use. The appropriateness of cointegration tests and vector error correction models for market delineation are developed in the context of a spatially linked oligopsony and then employed to determine whether a single economic market exists among spatially linked North American pork producers. Institutional detail and other time series information are also used to explore antitrust market issues.
The Interaction Between Regional Science and Economics: An Economist’s View
Authors: Milne William J.
Published: March 2021

In this paper, I consider some areas of interaction between regional science and economics. The focus of the paper is what economics has gained from the existence of the discipline of regional science and, perhaps more importantly, what regional scientists should be applying from the economics field and, especially, from recent developments in economics.
The Influence of Regional Science Upon Agricultural Economics
Authors: Hite James
Published: March 2021

Like regional science, agricultural economics is a hybrid field of scholarship- not so much a discipline as a multidisciplinary subject matter area. Like regional science, agricultural economics borrows heavily from economics and is always in danger of being pulled into the disciplinary orbit of economics. Both fields are pragmatic in their approaches, and both place a high value on empirical analysis. These common features suggest that there are strong possibilities for fruitful interaction between regional science and agricultural economics.
A Systematic Comparison of the REMI and IMPLAN Models: The Case of Southern Nevada
Authors: Rickman Dan S. , Schwer R. Keith
Published: March 2021

Despite the growing popularity of ready-made, regional economic impact models, few performance comparisons of the available models exist. Most studies have either examined the general characteristics and usability of the models or presented a specific application of a model. This paper systematically compares the performance of the two most widely used models: REMI and IMPLAN. A recent comparison of REMI and IMPLAN contained methodological errors that precluded a systematic evaluation. The areas used in the comparison in this paper are one urban county and two rural counties in southern Nevada. In addition to presenting the comparison of REMI and IMPLAN, this paper discusses the general applicability of the comparison to other models and establishes criteria that could be used in future comparisons of regional economic impact models.
The Effect of Government Size on Economic Growth: Evidence from Gross State Product Data
Authors: Durden Gary , Elledge Barry
Published: March 2021

Using newly released data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, this paper provides empirical estimates of the effect of government employment on gross state product. Cross-sectional data from 1982 are combined with a simple growth model to show that higher levels of government employment generally have a positive and significant effect on gross state product, with state and local employment levels having apparently greater influence. A first-differences variant of the model supports the cross-sectional findings. However, the positive influence of absolute government size may be offset by a negative relationship between GSP growth and the relative size of government.