bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Test of Base Theory Using Income Indexes Constructed from a State Input-Output Table
Authors: Epley D.R.
Published: March 2021

The purpose of this paper is to present a methodology for the construction of income activity indexes on a regional economy. The viewpoint taken is that the essential characteristics presently utilized in the literature in the construction of existing indexes are measurement without theory. This technique of construction will provide a test of regional base theory interms of output activity indexes.
The Influence of Family and Friends on Geographic Labor Mobility in a Less-Developed Country: The Case of India
Authors: Greenwood Michael J.
Published: March 2021

Family and friends who have previously migrated from one place to an other may provide persons in their former locality with an important source of information concerning their present location. This information may in turn increase the propensity of potential migrants to move that region rather than to some other region. This paper examines the importance of family and friends on the migration decisions of individuals in India.vv
Electric Power, Unbalanced Growth, and the Development of the TVA Power Service Area
Authors: Christian Jr. Virgil L. , Vaughan Claude M.
Published: March 2021

The basic proposition advanced in this paper is that the electric power component of the Tennessee Valley Authority has some of the characteristics of a leading industry in the sense described by proponents of unbalanced growth. Before advancing evidence to support this proposition, it might be well to review very briefly the doctrine of unbalanced growth.
Local-Regional Pollution Control Programs: A Double Violation of Optimality
Authors: Alessio Frank J.
Published: March 2021

In the case of local-regional pollution control programs, the traditional argument is inappropriate because a non-optimal solution occurs even though localities do internalize the externalities. Each locality recognizes that pollution control in other localities produces external economies for its own abatement program by reducing the amount of pollution that flows into the locality from outside sources. If each locality attempts to internalize these externalities, and thereby reduce the total cost of its own clean-up efforts,the result is an abatement-supply reaction process which produces a level of abatement that is neither globally optimal, as traditional economic theory suggests, nor Ibcally optimal. It is the attempt to internalize the externalities that forces local pollution control programs into a double violation of optimality. This paper demonstrates that locally operated pollution control programs will be less than optimal–locally as well as globally–as a result of the reaction to the abatement spill-in effects alone, traditional economic theory notwithstanding.
Internal Migration in a Low Income Region: The Atlantic Coastal Plains
Authors: Chetwynd Jr. Eric , Richter Charles
Published: March 2021

In a study of migration in the Atlantic Coastal Plains Region, it was discovered that approximately thirty percent of the migrants from State Economic Areas in the Coastal Plains remain with this low income region. We were surprised by the magitude of this percentage and decided to examine factors which could account for the intraregional migration flows within the Coastal Plains.
Push and Pull in Migration from Southern Farms
Authors: Persky Joseph
Published: March 2021

There is a general consensus among regional economists that the transfer of labor between the farm and non-farm sectors of the South have been a major source of the region’s growth in per capita income and it’s ability to catch up with with rest of the nation. However, it is important to recognize that behidn the talk of convergence rests a sesnse of complacency ocncerning the natural workings of the American economy. Before to much credit is taken, a welfare analysis of the South’s transformation is appropriate The question in this paper is whether the human costs of industrialization were unnecessarily high.
Non-Money Income and Out-Migration in Lagging Regions
Authors: Russell William R. , Winger Alan R.
Published: March 2021

The movement of people from the “lagging” region to those where economic growth is accelerating is a well-known and extensively studied phenomenon. The concern of thisaper is with non-money income and out-migration in lagging regions. The paper proposes a simple migration model and discusses the empirical findings.
Population Policy in a Regional Context
Authors: Dean Robert D. , Pursell Donald E.
Published: March 2021

The past few decades we have been living in “the age of growth.” Population size and growth have been identified with a nation’s prosperity and strength. However, not all economists are so optimistic about the benefits of population growth in development. This paper discusses these issues.
Spatial Planning in Yugoslavia: An Application of Markov Chain Analysis to Changing Settlement Patterns
Authors: Fisher Jack C. , Lawson Barry R.
Published: March 2021

Regional spatial planning in Yugoslavia is an outgrowth of traditional urban physical planning developed in the late 1950’s. This paper discusses the history of these efforts and the pros and cons of various approaches.
Development Centers and Central Places in West German Regional Planning Schemes
Authors: Krumme Gunter
Published: March 2021

In spite of increasing American interest in European regional development patterns and planning approaches, English-language reports on the West German scene have remained scarce. Nevertheless, Germany has its share of regional problems worthwhile to be analyzed. This paper discusses these topics and issues.
An Approach to Metropolitan Employment Forecasting
Authors: Richardson Harry W.
Published: March 2021

The development of techniques for subnational area forecasts has lagged behind other branches of the science of economic forecasting. The field of metropolitan are forecasting is even more retarded than that of regional forecasting. This note outlines an approach to this task which has at least two main virtures. First, it avoids the purely demand-driven causation that characterizes crude export base and input-output methods. Second, it places each metropolitan area in the wider framework of the national economy and stresses the role of interurban competitive success in generating urban growth.
Economic Flows and Environmental Coefficients
Authors: Cumberland John H. , Stram Bruce N.
Published: March 2021

A major goal of environmental research is to develop a comprehensive yet disaggregated systems approach to the economic analysis of environmental problems. Research has, to date, been oriented toward analyzing the link between production and the general gross residual, and the links between generated gross residual and discharge environment. Presently, the model is implemented at the national level. However, this is an initial step toward the development of regionalization of data and the model.
Factor Analysis, Industrial Linkages, and Industrial Structure
Authors: Hale Carl M.
Published: March 2021

This paper constructs a measure of inter-regional activity that reflects both the complementarity of industrial activity within a state and between the state and the nation. Complementary refers to activities of industries located in a specific geographic area as they interact with “national” as well as regional economic space. The paper illustrates the application of factor analysis to the fourth approach of regional analysis.
Decision Agent Models of the Residential Development Process: A Review of Recent Research
Authors: Kaiser Edward J. , Weiss Shirley F.
Published: March 2021

This article reviews the current literature on residential urban growth. A conceptual model is developed to motivate the work. Local public policies serve as a guidance system for shaping the development decisions of key and supporting framework.
Residental Development and Business Location: Rapporteur’s Summary
Authors: Massie Ronald W.
Published: March 2021

This paper provides a discussion of the papers Kaiser and Weiss (1971), Burby (1971), and Tarpley, Davidson, and Clark (1971).
Notes on the Relationship between Job Creation, Intercounty Migration, Unemployment, and Family Income
Authors: Raynsford Robert W.
Published: March 2021

Investigation into the reasons for migration has produced evidence that migration is related to employment opportunities. This paper reviews some of the recent research and arguments related to these issues.
The Contribution of Industrial Aid Bond Financing to Regional Economic Development
Authors: Thompson Arthur A.
Published: March 2021

Economists have devoted increasing attention to investigating the social and economic problems associated with widely divergent standards of living among areas. Two basic approaches to alleviating poverty in depressed areas have been proposed. This paper analyzes the efficacy of these approaches.
Regional Science Curricula and Teaching
Authors: Winger Alan R.
Published: March 2021

With the increased awarness of urban and regional problems, there has been an academic response to covering these issues. This paper provides a general discussion and motivation of works that discuss these issues related to the regional science curriculum and teaching practices.
Education in Regional Economics
Authors: Schaffer William A.
Published: March 2021

This paper examines the number and content of regional science related courses in economics in the current college curriculum. This research conducted a survey to determine the statistical profile of education in regional since in both the Southeast and entire United States.
Are Regional and Urban Economics Really Different?
Authors: Nourse Hugh O.
Published: March 2021

This paper raises the question as to whether or not urban economics and regional economics are different, and how they may be integrated into a curriculum.
Introduction to Session on Appalachian Regional Commission
Authors: Hansen Niles M.
Published: March 2021

This paper is an introduction to a session evlauating the work of the Appalachian Regional Commission.
Comment on “Discriminant Function Analysis of Rgional Economic Development”
Authors: Falero Jr. Frank
Published: March 2021

This paper is a comment on the research of Mazek (1971).
The Delphi Method as Applied to Public Investment Decisions: Comment
Authors: Kaatz John R.
Published: March 2021

This paper is a comment on the research of Gunther and Vallery (1961).
Some Urban Policy Considerations of Rural Journey-to-Work Commuting
Authors: Floyd Charles F. , Robertson Terry D.
Published: March 2021

A primary cause of many of the current inner-city urban problems has been the large number of unskilled rural-to-urban migrants. These individuals are moving to urban areas primarily because of lack of job opportunities in their home town. This paper examines these issues and evaluates various policy solutions.
Rural-Urban Migration and Concentrated Employment Programs: A Commentary
Authors: Knox Hugh W.
Published: March 2021

This study comments on the research presented in Floyd and Robertson (1971) and Revzan (1971).
Structuring the Urban Business Environment Problems in Retail Business Relocation and Black Entrepreneurship
Authors: Govoni Norman A.P. , Joyce George
Published: March 2021

In recent years, local planners have been shifting the emphasis in urban renewal away from housing needs toward an overall mix of needs, including commercial, industrial, and institutional. This research considers the effect of business relocation programs on urban renewal.
The Analysis of Real Estate Sales and Urban Data: The Impact on Resource Allocation
Authors: Shenkel William M. , Eidson Allan S.
Published: March 2021

Much of the data for urban analysis is based on census data as supplemented by special planning surveys. This paper shows that real estate data are generally available at an economic cost, that statistical routines may be substituted for expensive field surveys, and that sales data may be merged with other data bases for planning and related purposes.
Population Dynamics and Spatial Dependence: Evidence from Brazilian Cities
Authors: Costa da Silva Diego Firmino , Silveira Neto Raul da Mota
Published: March 2021

This paper focuses on Brazil’s population dynamics between 1970 and 2010. The first objective is to explore the behavior of Brazil’s population distribution, revisiting the traditional rank-size rule and Markov chain approaches. To increase the accuracy of the information on the dynamics and evolution of the population distribution, spatial dependence is introduced through spatial Markov chains. The distribution shape may indicate that divergence in population size of minimum comparable areas (MCAs) is decreasing. The Zipf’s law estimation indicates that the population distribution is, every decade, moving away from Pareto law. The Markov chain approach indicates, as main evidence, the high persistence of MCAs to remain in their own class size from one decade to another over the entire period, and that different spatial contexts have different effects on regional transitions.
The Impact of Sea Level Rise on Real Estate Prices in Coastal Georgia
Authors: Beck Jason , Lin Meimei
Published: March 2021

This paper adopts a hedonic pricing model to study the impact of vulnerability to inundation from sea level rise on home prices in Savannah, Georgia. We find that homes most at risk from sea level rise are associated with an approximate 3.1 percent price discount. The results are consistent with prior studies, which uses data from different locations in U.S. coastal areas. We also find that the discount is more significant in our later sample period, indicating that house buyers may be becoming more aware of the climate risk. This paper contributes to the understanding of house pricing factors in the study area regarding the sea level rise effects.
Book Reviews
Authors: Slobada Brian
Published: March 2021

Mark Jubulis reviews “Handbook on Cohesion Policy in the EU.” Noah Trudeau reviews “Order Without Design: How Markets Shape Cities.” Ethan Schmick reviews “How Growth Really Happens: The Making of Economic Miracles through Production, Governance, and Skills.” Allyssa Wadsworth reviews “The Gift of Global Talent.”
Book Reviews
Authors: Sloboda Brian W.
Published: March 2021

Clay Collins reviews “Cultural Heritage, Creativity and Economic Development.” Joshua C. Martin reviews “The Public Wealth of Nations: How Management of Public Assets Can Boost or Bust Economic Growth.” Amitrajeet A. Batabyal reviews “The Politics of Poverty Reduction in India: The UPA Government, 2004 to 2014.” Colin Steitz reviews “The Robots Are Coming!”
Why is the Rural to Urban Migration Rate in India so Low? An Empirical Analysis
Authors: Tripathi Sabyasachi
Published: March 2021

Little research has examined the relationship between rural to urban migration, urbanization, and economic growth in India. While urbanization is a key driver for economic growth in many countries, the rural to urban migration rate in India is low, potentially due to a lowering of the gap between urban-rural health, infrastructure, employment opportunities, and economic conditions. Using panel data models, I investigate the relevant determinants of rural to urban migration at the state level in India from 1991 to 2011. Panel data analysis suggests that higher per capita state income and a lower difference between urban to rural literacy rates encourage rural to urban migration. In this context, I suggest that urban job creation, improved urban infrastructure, and management of urban poverty and income inequality are essential to promoting rural to urban migration in India.
Identities and Regional Science
Authors: Fannin J. Matthew
Published: March 2021

Our identities as regional scientists may have origins from an advisor, a theory, or a regional science meeting. Further, how we identify regions may be influenced by how our regional data have been historically organized. We must continue to innovate how we apply these identities for our discipline to maintain its pragmatic value and be sustainable long-term.
When Rent Seeking Smacks You in the Face: TIF and Motivated Reasoning
Authors: Rogers Cynthia L.
Published: March 2021

This article is a substitute for the Fellows Address that I did not get to present at the 2020 Southern Regional Science Association (SRSA) Conference due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Regional science research typically addresses real world problems in hopes of guiding better policy decisions. Why is it, then, that economic development plans often fail to reflect best practices? What do you do when you find that your own community is about to buy into a terrible plan? In this address, I share my observations and experience with a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) development plan implemented in Norman, OK. I point out how motivated reasoning leads policy makers to seek reasons to approve a plan rather than to evaluate if a plan is good. To make a meaningful impact on public policy decisions, scholars will need to step out of their comfort zones and engage in - sometimes contentious - community outreach education.
The National Drug Crisis - What Have We Learned from the Regional Science Disciplines?
Authors: Cushing Brian J. , Erfanian Elham , Peters David
Published: March 2021

Brian Cushing’s Presidential Address for the Southern Regional Science Association Cushing (2017) detailed the U.S. drug crisis, including the high cost in terms of lost lives and financial costs. After determining almost no participation in drug crisis research by the regional science community, he charged regional scientists to learn about the crisis and become part of the discussion. In the few years since that address, the drug crisis has continued to accelerate. This time, however, regional science scholars have stepped up to conduct research and become part of the policy discussions. We update Cushing’s (2017) discussion with new details regarding the worsening crisis. We then document and discuss the “regional science” contributions to the ongoing drug crisis literature. We finish with thoughts regarding what regional scientists doing research on the drug crisis should consider going forward.
Book Reviews
Authors: Sloboda Brian W.
Published: March 2021

Richard Cebula reviews “Regional Economics” by Hugh O. Nourse. Brian Sloboda reviews “Regional Economics” by Harry W. Richardson. Christa Court, Robert Botta, Joao-Pedro Ferreira and Mengming Li review “Input-Output Analysis: Foundations and Extensions” by Ronald E. Miller and Peter D. Blair. J. Sebastian Leguizamon reviews “Geography and Trade” by Paul Krugman.
Working Together as Regional Scientists: A Forward-Looking Retrospective
Authors: Court Christa D.
Published: March 2021

Several past presidents of the Southern Regional Science Association (SRSA) have used the occasion of the presidential address to reflect on the past and contemplate the future of both the association and regional science more broadly. In this paper, I revisit a group of addresses focused on the relevance and broader impact of regional science, touching on how regional scientists came together, how they have remained together, and how they can continue to work together for collective success.
Income Inequality and County Economic Resistance to Job Loss during the Great Recession
Authors: Rahe Mallory L. , Weber Bruce , Wu Xiurou , Fisher Monica
Published: March 2021

This paper examines the effects of income inequality on short-run changes in growth in the context of the most recent U.S. recession in both urban and rural counties. Resistance to job loss in the Great Recession is modeled as a function of local income inequality, controlling for community capital assets, and the size and structure of the local population and economy. Regression results suggest that the effect of local inequality on resilience depends on the size of a county’s population. High inequality increases the recessionary employment drop in counties with large populations but reduces the employment drop in the smallest counties.
Book Reviews
Authors: Dunn Robert , Dunn Leslie
Published: March 2021

“A Brief but Affectionate History” is reviewed by Alexandre R. Scarcioffolo. “Democracy and Political Ignorance: Why Smaller Government is Smarter” is reviewed by Daniel Bonneau. “Small Towns and Decentralisation in India: Urban Local Bodies in the Making, Part of the Exploring Urban Change in South Asia Series” is reviewed by Robert Dunn. “Sustainable Innovation and Regional Development: Rethinking Innovative Milieus” is reviewed by Arijit Ray.
Estimating Seasonality in Time-Series Forecasting Models
Authors: Fritz Richard G , Xander James
Published: March 2021

The study of seasonality in time-series models has resulted in a large amount of published research. Changing patterns over time are important, as seasonal effects can are present in various situations.This paper uses Florida tourism data to report forecasts based on several competing time series procedures that incorporate alternative seasonal adjustment methods
Government Budget Shares from Tourism: The Florida Case
Authors: Redman Milton
Published: March 2021

Many studies have documented the economic impacts of employment and income in states and local communities which flow from the development of the tourism industry. This study explores the use of econometric techniques to identify the relationship between tourists and government budget components for both levels of government.
Competition in the Electrical Industry: An Industrial Viewpoint
Authors: Greenwood Ralph W.
Published: March 2021

This paper is from a speech on the electrical industry that was given at the Southern Regional Science Association 1982 conference. It examines this industry from an industrial standpoint and illustrates various questions and concerns researchers may want to consider going forward.
The Effects of Increased Transportation Cost on the Interregional Flows of Selected Fresh Produce in Late Spring
Authors: Tyan H.L , Epperson J.E.
Published: March 2021

This paper looks at how an increase in transportation costs affects the traditional fresh fruit and agricultural production areas. The analysis uses a spatial equilibrium model. The results from the analysis give some indication of the magnitude of the effects that expected transportation cost increases will have on the spatial distribution of selected fresh produce items
The Italian Regional Dualism: A MARS and Panel Data Analysis
Authors: Odoardi Iacopo , Muratore Fabrizio
Published: March 2021

The income gap between the richest and the poorest areas in Italy has increased in the last decades. We study the sources of regional wealth that can explain the differences in income and compare rich and poor areas to provide suggestions on how to bridge the gap. A multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) analysis is used to detect the relevant GDP determinants, and a fixed effects model is used to investigate the regional characteristics. The effects of the 2007 crisis are evident in all regions, and some structural weaknesses in the less wealthy areas limit the opportunities to exit the recession and close many socioeconomic gaps with the wealthiest regions.
Unemployment and Entrepreneurship in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States: A Spatial Panel Data Analysis
Authors: Cole Ismail M.
Published: March 2021

Studies of whether unemployment leads to more or fewer firm births and whether firm births reduce unemployment have produced mixed, inconclusive, and even conflicting results. A group of studies have attempted to reconcile these findings by exploring the possibility that the assumed linear relationship may break down and become non-linear, as might be the case if the relationships were space- and time-variant. However, these studies have also produced inconclusive results. The current study extends the analysis in this small but growing literature from the usual single- and multi-country level to the sub-country level while paying particular attention to the role of spatial effects in the firm creation process. We do this by combining spatial exploratory data analysis and spatial econometrics based on panel data for 365 counties in the Mid-Atlantic region from 1999 to 2010. The results show that spatial effects play a crucial role in this process and that ignoring them substantially underestimates the long-run effects of unemployment on firm births. The results also reveal a robust and statistically significant inverted U-shaped relationship in which rising unemployment raises the firm birth rate up to a certain threshold. In addition, a U-shaped relationship where rising firm births lower unemployment for a period but subsequently increase it is observed. These non-linear results help explain some of the conflicting findings in the literature.
Does Titling Matter? Evidence from Housing Markets in India
Authors: Bento Antonio M. , Lall Somik V. , Landry Joel R.
Published: March 2021

In this paper, we exploit the plausibly exogenous random relocation of slum dwellers in Pune, India to evaluate whether the provision of a formal title is capitalized into property values. Using propensity score matching methods, which address important sources of bias that are present in conventional Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) hedonic methods, we find no effect of titling. Our results suggest that slum improvements may be sufficient to enhance informal tenure rights and that formalizing those rights with a title has little additional impact. An analysis of heterogeneous treatment effects from titling confirms this conclusion, providing preliminary evidence when titling may complement or substitute for other slum interventions.
Book Reviews
Authors: Dunn Leslie , Dunn Robert
Published: March 2021

“The Economics of Immigration: Market-Based Approaches, Social Science, and Public Policy” is reviewed by Cathy Yang Liu. “Transport, Mobility, and the Production of Urban Space” is reviewed by Corey Young. “Creative Milieux: How Urban Design Nurtures Creative Clusters” is reviewed by Corey Young. “Handbook on the Geographies of Innovation” is reviewed by Margaret Bock.
Reflections on and Inquiry into Unfamiliar as well as Familar Factors that may Influence the Market for Municipal Bonds
Authors: Cebula Richard J.
Published: March 2021

This study investigates the impact of various factors on the ex-ante real interest rate yield on high grade municipal bonds. The AR/2SLS estimation implies that this ex ante real interest rate is an increasing function of the ex-ante real interest rate yield on thirty-year Treasury bonds while being a decreasing function of net capital flows. The yield in question also is found to have been negatively impacted by the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act. Furthermore, the estimation finds that this interest rate measure is a decreasing function of the maximum marginal federal personal income tax rate. In addition, it is found that, in the presence of an interaction term, the ex-ante real interest rate yield on high-grade municipals is an increasing function not only of the budget deficit but also the aggregate tax gap. The policy implications of these results include the need to limit the extent of budget deficits and to also limit the extent of income tax evasion in the U.S., lest there will be significant limitations placed on the ability of towns, cities, counties, and states to create new infrastructure in response to changing demographic and economic circumstances and/or maintain existing infrastructure.
Income Inequality and Economic Development Incentives in US States: Robin Hood in Reverse?
Authors: Wang Jia , Ellis Stephen E. , Rogers Cynthia L.
Published: March 2021

This paper explores the relationship between the rising use of economic development incentives (EDI) and rising income inequality within U.S. states. It extends the few papers which investigate state and local income inequality outcomes in the U.S. (Goetz et al., 2011; Shuai, 2015) in three important ways. First, it provides a normative argument for reducing inequality as a policy goal, an issue commonly ignored in empirical applications of inequality. Second, it discusses the channels through which EDI policy can influence equality outcomes in a regional context. Finally, it estimates panel data models for 41 states from 2000 to 2009 using direct measures of EDI and three common measures of income inequality: Gini, top 1 percent income share and top 10 percent income share. The results reveal positive and statistically significant relationships between the one-year lag of EDI values and the three inequality measures. Taken as a whole, the results are consistent with a reverse-Robin-Hood effect where more generous EDI use is associated with redistribution of income from the bottom 90 percent to the top 10 percent of the income distribution.
Are More Severe Recessions Followed by Stronger Early Expansions of Employment in the Mexican States?
Authors: Mejía-Reyes Pablo , Vergara-González Reyna
Published: March 2021

This paper estimates conventional linear models to evaluate whether the average growth rate of employment (permanent, temporary, and total) over early expansions depends on the characteristics of prior recessions for the Mexican states during the 2001 and 2008 recessions. After controlling for the initial impulse of external and fiscal shocks as well as for the effects of structural factors, our results suggest that the depth and steepness of prior recessions (measured as the percentage accumulated drop and monthly average growth rate) have negative effects on employment growth over the first 9 and 12 months following the 2001 recession. In contrast, employment growth in the aftermath of the 2008 recession can be explained primarily by external and fiscal shocks. In general, the duration of recessionshas no effect on employment growth after recessions.
How (not) to Estimate GDP at the Sub-State Level: The Usefulness of the Economic Census
Authors: Caraballo-Cueto José G.
Published: March 2021

An accurate estimation of GDP for sub-state divisions is needed for studies on the overall size and growth of smaller economies, assessment of the industrial composition by subdivisions, and the impact of economic policies, among other reasons. In this paper, I review two popular methods to infer GDP in counties, both of which rely heavily on payroll, without controlling for labor productivity differences between subdivisions. By considering labor productivity heterogeneity across counties, I propose a new methodology that appears to provide a better map of the GDP of counties. For forecasting, my approach uses payroll statistics, but to a lesser extent. The new method is tested with data from Puerto Rico, a suitable jurisdiction given its significant heterogeneity between counties. I am able to map changes in economic geography associated with changes in the state’s economic structure. Like many other jurisdictions, Puerto Rico has undergone a deindustrialization process that ended up concentrating GDP in one geographical cluster.
Community Banks and Agricultural Sales in Rural States
Authors: O'Hara Jeffrey K.
Published: March 2021

The consolidation of the commercial banking sector may influence the viability of farms in accessing credit. I estimate the influence that changes in the level of deposits in community banks had on total agricultural sales and direct-to-consumer agricultural sales of local food between 2002 and 2012 in a five-state region containing North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, and Montana. I find that changes in community bank deposits had a positive impact on changes in direct-to-consumer agricultural sales of local foods, while total agricultural sales may not be impacted by changes in community bank deposits.
Gender, Occupational Segregation, and the Cultural Divide: Are Red States Different than Blue States?
Authors: May Ann Mari , McGarvey Mary G.
Published: March 2021

This paper examines geographic differences in occupational segregation by sex in male-dominated, high-education STEM and non-STEM occupations to determine if labor market conditions for women vary according to red-state/blue-state patterns. Controlling for state demographic variables, economic factors, and labor market characteristics, our results show that there are indeed differences in labor market outcomes along red-state/blue-state lines, with blue states showing more integrated labor market outcomes than red states. Our results suggest that there may indeed be important differences in labor market outcomes for women associated with values differences in red versus blue states.
The Effects of High Growth on New Business Survival
Authors: Choi Taelim , Rupasingha Anil , Robertson John C. , Leigh Nancey Green
Published: March 2021

High-growth, young businesses have received increased attention in the research and policy sphere because of their job creation potential. However, relatively less attention has focused on the effects of high growth on firm survival and its implications for job creation and destruction dynamics. This paper analyzes the effect of high employment growth on the survival of new establishments and the survival patterns of high-growth firms in the U.S. State of Georgia. We use the National Establishment Time-Series (NETS) data to examine the new establishments that started between 1990 and 1999 and trace their employment dynamics through 2008. We analyze how early-stage employment growth impacts the survival rate of these establishments. Our analysis provides evidence that high employment growth early in their life cycle significantly reduces the likelihood of subsequent failure.
Geographic Concentration of the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery
Authors: Lee Min-Yang , Speir Cameron , Carr-Harris Andrew , Benjamin Sharon
Published: March 2021

The concentration patterns in the Northeast U.S. sea scallop industry are examined from 1996-2014 using generalized indices of concentration and exploratory spatial data analysis. Absolute and relative Theil indices of concentration are computed to describe the regional pattern of concentration within ports over time. Moran’s I provides a complementary measure of concentration of activity among neighboring ports. The Moran scatterplots and confidence plots provide insight into local patterns of concentration in this industry. The analysis reveals large changes from year to year in the geographic concentration of the scallop industry, which is likely to be related to natural variability of the environment and regulations enacted by fisheries managers in response to the variability of the environment.
Diversification and Specialization of U.S. States
Authors: Koech Janet , Wynne Mark A.
Published: March 2021

This paper documents the evolution of the international relationships of individual U.S. states along three dimensions: trade, migration, and finance. We examine how specialized or diversified state economies differ in terms of the products they export and with whom they trade, the origins of the immigrants who live in the state, and the origins of the foreign banks operating in the state. We show that states that are diversified along one of these dimensions are often quite specialized along others. New York is—perhaps, not surprisingly—the most diversified state in terms of global linkages.
Household Adjustments to Hurricane Katrina
Authors: Davlasheridze Meri , Fan Qin
Published: March 2021

This paper examines household adjustments to Hurricane Katrina by estimating the effects of Katrina-induced damages on changes in household demographics and income distributions in the Orleans Parish between 2000 and 2012. Adjustment patterns are found to be heterogeneous across ethno-racial segments, income classes, and educational attainment. Shares of middle-income and affluent households along with educated individuals decreased in severely damaged areas relative to less damaged ones. Also the share of individuals with lower educational levels and incomes below the poverty line increased in severely damaged block groups. Furthermore, the share of the white population decreased and the share of the black population increased in damaged areas for both home owners and renters. Overall adjustment patterns suggest that resource and financially constrained population adjust by moving into previously damaged areas, while economically capable households adjust by relocating to safer areas within or outside of the parish. Given estimated increases in vulnerable segments of the population in hazardous hotspots, public efforts should focus on either revitalizing poorer neighborhoods, by investing in long-term hazard mitigation measures and improving infrastructure, with segregated housing or assisting gradual population retreat to enhance community resilience and reduce vulnerability and exposure to future catastrophic events.
Book Reviews
Authors: Dunn Leslie , Dunn Robert
Published: March 2021

“Arts, Culture, and the Making of Global Cities: Creating New Urban Landscapes in Asia” is reviewed by George Pomeroy. “Blue Skies over Beijing: Economic Growth and the Environment in China” is reviewed by Yang Zhou. “The Emperor Far Away: Travels at the Edge of China” is reviewed by Amitrajeet A. Batabyal. “Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government” is reviewed by Joshua Matti.
Spatial Nonlinear Pricing with Per-Trip versus Per-Unit Transportation Costs
Authors: Burkey Mark L. , Kurepa Alexandra
Published: March 2021

In this paper, we introduce a nonlinear pricing model with transportation costs that do not vary with the quantity purchased. In contrast to the quantity discounts seen in a model with per-unit transportation charges, we find that the optimal nonlinear pricing schedule takes the form of either a two-part tariff or package pricing, which appears to be consistent with observed pricing structures. We compare efficiency measures between optimal nonlinear pricing and the single price monopoly result, finding that per trip transportation costs can lead to qualitatively different results for pricing structure and efficiency measures.
Does Private Schooling Increase Adult Earnings? Cohort-Level Evidence for U.S. States
Authors: Berger Reilee L. , Winters John V.
Published: March 2021

Public schooling in the U.S. has numerous critics, many of whom suggest that alternatives such as providing vouchers for private schools may be more effective. This paper combines decennial census and American Community Survey data for various years to examine the relationship between cohort-level private-schooling rates and later earnings during adulthood. We also explore differences by sex and examine the role played by the quantity of education completed and occupational attainment. We find a significant positive relationship between private-schooling rates and adult earnings for women but a small relationship for men.
Book Reviews
Authors: Dunn Leslie , Dunn Robert
Published: March 2021

“Regional Development and Proximity Relations” is reviewed by Robert T. Carey. “Transpacific Rebalancing: Implications for Trade and Economic Growth” is reviewed by Tuan V. Le. “Circus Maximus: The Economic Gamble Behind Hosting the Olympics and the World Cup” is reviewed by Michael Lahr. “Black Mayors, White Majorities: The Balancing Act of Racial Politics” is reviewed by Robert Dunn.
Social Interactions and the Effectiveness of Urban Policies
Authors: Pinto Santiago M.
Published: March 2021

Why does the implementation of urban policies with similar characteristics achieve disparate results? Why do the same policies work in certain social and economic environments, but not in others? What are the reasons explaining the varied outcomes? This presentation claims that social interactions, including neighborhood and network effects, may play a key role at explaining the effectiveness of urban policies. It is argued that the availability of new and better information, such as recent data obtained from social experiments, might provide new insights on how non-market interactions may condition policy interventions in an urban setting.
An Integrated Spatial Model of Population Change in South Carolina Counties
Authors: Lewis Jr. Willis , Stanley Brooke
Published: March 2021

Existing studies of population change have grown to consider spatial dependence. The current literature highlights the importance of location when modeling population change. The evidence clearly suggests that population change in one area is dependent on population change in neighboring areas. What is missing in the existing literature is an analysis of which specific features in surrounding areas impact the local area. We employ a model using spatially lagged explanatory variables (SLX) to model population change in South Carolina. In addition to the normal impacts of the explanatory variables in a standard OLS regression, the SLX model measures the impact of the independent variables in contiguous areas. It also allows for eparation of spillovers from rural counties versus those from urban counties. We find that the impact of neighboring counties is distinctly different for rural versus urban counties. Local urban population growth is influenced by neighboring counties, both urban and rural. However, local rural population growth is influenced only by neighboring rural counties. For rural counties, the share of retirees and recreational activities in surrounding rural counties are significant in explaining population change. For urban population growth, birth rates, income, and single female pregnancy rates in neighboring urban counties are significant. Retiree share and single female pregnancy rates in neighboring rural counties are also significant in explaining urban population change.
Location Theories and Business Location Decision: A Micro-Spatial Investigation of a Nonmetropolitan Area in Canada
Authors: Dubé Jean , Brunelle Cédric , Legros Diègo
Published: March 2021

This paper draws on location theories to statistically identify the relationship between the location of individual business establishments and the characterization of their local economic environment. Taking a micro-spatial perspective, the paper develops indicators from distance-based measures (DBM) to serve as independent variables in a discrete choice model (DCM). Using a 2006 database of individual business establishments in the Lower-St-Lawrence region—a coherent, nonmetropolitan subsystem of cities in the province of Québec, Canada—we provide an empirical analysis of the determinants of individual establishments’ location decisions in relation to their main economic activity within a random utility model (RUM) framework. The results show that distance to nearby centers, co-location (specialization), and the size of establishments are statistically related to location decisions. However, unlike previous studies, it is also found that discrete location choices of business establishments in service industries are not necessarily influenced by economic diversity or co-location, whereas manufacturing firms’ location decisions are not impacted by distance to markets. All told, we believe the results provide further evidence of the importance of scale in the study of business location decisions.
Does Broadband Matter for Rural Entrepreneurs and Creative Class Employees?
Authors: Conley Kelsey L. , Whitacre Brian E.
Published: March 2021

Efforts to attract entrepreneurs and “creative class” workers have become important components of economic development strategies for rural communities. One commonly held perception is that broadband access is important for these types of employees; however, empirical research on the relationship between the two is generally lacking. This study uses county-level data from the continental U.S. to estimate spatial and first-differenced regression models on the association between broadband and measures of entrepreneurship/creative-class employees in rural areas. The results suggest that high levels of broadband adoption may in fact serve to reduce the numbers of entrepreneurs and creative class employees in rural America. These findings serve as a reminder that broadband is not a panacea for all issues of importance to rural communities and provide evidence that there may be negative implications associated with efforts to increase levels of rural broadband access and adoption.
The Impact of Changing Lake Levels on Property Values: A Hedonic Model of Lake Thurmond
Authors: Dickes Lori , Crouch Elizabeth
Published: March 2021

This study uses hedonic pricing models to examine the relationship between lake levels and property values for properties adjacent to Lake Thurmond. Lake Thurmond is located along the Savannah River Basin, bordering Georgia and South Carolina. Of the 1,030 properties from 2000-2009 for which data was reliable and available, 388 were lake front homes. The model of the effect of lake level on sales prices also includes home characteristics, home condition variables, lake attributes, and macroeconomic control variables. Results reveal a statistically significant change in sales price when the lake is closer to full pool. Results confirm that declining Lake Thurmond water levels have an impact on real estate values within some ranges below full pool. As climate variability places increasing pressure on communities, future research would benefit from further exploration into the relationship between economic activity and changing lake levels.
Outmigration and State and Local Appropriations for Public Higher Education
Authors: Dunn Robert R.
Published: March 2021

This paper focuses on the role of outmigration in determining public higher education funding from the 1993-1994 to the 2011-2012 academic years. The results of a fixed-effects estimation show that outmigration has a statistically significant and negative effect on the level of state funding when controlling for various state indicators, but the impact varies across state recessions and expansions. Findings on the role of state business cycles provide updated estimates of the relationship between migration and education funding but are generally in line with previous research.
Book Reviews
Authors: Dunn Leslie , Dunn Robert
Published: March 2021

“Double Dividend: Environmental Taxes and Fiscal Reform in the United States” is reviewed by Caleb Stair. “Lessons from the Economics of Crime: What Reduces Offending?” is reviewed by Amir Borges Ferreira Neto. “The Knowledge Capital of Nations: Education and the Economics of Growth” is reviewed by Taining Wang. “The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality” is reviewed by Hyunwoong Pyun.
The Economic Resilience of U.S. Counties during the Great Recession
Authors: Han Yicheol , Goetz Stephan J.
Published: March 2021

A regional economy perturbed by a shock may move onto a new growth path by reestablishing economic linkages both internally and with other regions. This dynamic property of regions has recently been explained in terms of regional economic resilience. In this paper, we introduce a more refined measure of economic resilience and then apply it to monthly employment data for U.S. counties in the 2007-2009 downturn. We suggest that describing and analyzing the distinct response patterns during this downturn are important starting points for policy makers to understand the spatial resilience of the US economy.
Effect of Distance to Schooling on Home Prices
Authors: Metz Neil E.
Published: March 2021

This paper uses hedonic analysis of home transactions in the Denver Public School District to estimate the effect of distance to schooling on sales price. This study considers all three levels of public location based schooling: elementary, middle and high school. While most studies examining the relationship between schooling and home price investigate the change in home value based on the quality of schooling, this paper controls for school quality differences and focuses on the value of distance to schools. Results indicate that as distance to schooling increases, home price decreases. Despite the overall inverse relationship, the study finds a congestion effect near all levels of schooling; homes 1,000 feet from a school have a higher price than homes less than 500 feet. In addition, results suggest that homes just inside the cutoff distance for walking to elementary school (1,320 feet) are priced lower than homes just outside this cutoff.