Economics Commons^™

Universal Basic Income Roundtable, Daniel S. Soucier, Michael W. Howard, Dave Canarie, Philip Harvey, Georg Arndt, Karl Widerquist, Luisa S. Deprez, Almaz Zelleke

Maine Policy Perspectives

The Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center invited local, regional, and international experts on universal basic income (UBI) to participate in a new feature: Maine Policy Perspectives. In total, the perspectives of seven individuals are included in this roundtable regarding UBI.

Peck (H. Austin) Records, 1946-1963, Special Collections, Raymond H. Fogler Library, University Of Maine

Finding Aids

Henry Austin Peck was born in 1921 in Somerville, Mass. and graduated from Tufts College in 1942. He received his master's degree and Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts where he was also named to Phi Beta Kappa. Before joining the University of Maine faculty in 1948 he was an instructor in economics at Tufts and also was director of veterans' housing at that college. In 1961 he was named vice president for academic affairs at the University of Maine. In 1968 he was named president of the State University of New York at Potsdam. …

Mr442: Business Climate For Maine's Environmental And Energy Technology Sector, Caroline L. Noblet, Todd M. Gabe

Miscellaneous Reports

This report presents findings from a survey that concentrated on issues pertaining to Maine’s business climate for the environmental and energy technology sector. The Environmental and Energy Technology (E2Tech) Council of Maine commissioned the survey, with support from the Maine Technology Institute’s Cluster Enhancement Award. The survey, conducted during the summer of 2006, collected information on the factors believed to affect the business climate for Maine’s environmental and energy technology sector, including availability of external investment, skilled workforce, collaboration among firms and in-state partners. Information on state characteristics (e.g., taxes, state/local government support, location relative to key inputs) that may …

Tb184: Least-Cost Options For The Collection, Treatment, And Disposal Of Biomedical Waste In Maine., Andrew C. Files, Thomas G. Allen, George K. Criner

Technical Bulletins

This study examines the cost effectiveness of using current treatment technologies to sanitize, disinfect, shred, and dispose of biomedical waste within the state in relation to the costs of current disposal practices in Maine. The study employs a linear programming model to determine the combination of treatment facilities, transportation options, and disposal sites to treat all waste produced in Maine at the lowest statewide cost. A least-cost solution is developed for three different scenarios. The first two scenarios assume that all treated waste must be shredded in accordance with current regulatory requirements. The third scenario assumes that regulations are changed …

Tb185: Designing A Labeling Policy For Genetically Modified Food: Results Of Focus Group Research, Mario F. Teisl, Lynn Halverson, Kelly O'Brien, Brian Roe

Technical Bulletins

The labeling of genetically modified foods is a topic of growing, and sometimes cantankerous, public debate—a debate whose outcome could dramatically alter the operation of the U.S. production agriculture, processing, distribution and retailing sectors. The debate surrounding the labeling of genetically modified foods is largely about how much information to supply to consumers to facilitate effective choice and how that information should be supplied. Although there seems to be empirical evidence of a mainstream desire for the labeling of genetically modified foods, we know of no study that has provided guidance to policy makers as to the best method of …

Mp748: Public Conservation Land And Economic Growth In The Northern Forest Region, David Lewis, Andrew J. Plantinga

Miscellaneous Publications

This publication analyzes the impact of publicly owned conservation lands on employment and population growth in the Northern Forest region, defined for the purposes of this study as a group of 92 non-metropolitan counties stretching from Maine to northern Minnesota. The principal objective is to determine if there is a systematic relationship between the share of the land base in public conservation uses and employment growth and net migration rates in Northern Forest counties. The main finding is that public conservation lands had little effect on the growth of local economies over the period 1990 to 1997. Net migration rates …

B845: The Cost Of Doing Business And Economic Performance In Maine: A Regional Comparison, Thomas G. Allen, Dennis A. Watkins

Bulletins

This study attempts to address the need for better understanding of those business climate factors that have a direct and measurable impact upon statewide economic performance by comparing several key costs faced by businesses in each of the New England states, and by examining how those costs relate to general economic conditions in each state.

B826: The Structure Of Economic Growth In Maine And New England, Steven C. Deller

Bulletins

The research reported in this bulletin employs the shift-share method by examining the growth patterns (1981-1986) in the economic structure of Maine and New England. The first section briefly describes the shift-share method and its limitations. The second section describes data employed and is followed by an empirical comparison of Maine to other New England states. Next, a detailed analysis of Maine's sub-regions (i.e., counties) is presented, and the bulletin closes with a short summary of the results and policy implications.

B789: A Breakeven Analysis Of Two Rural Health Maintenance Organization Models, Steven P. Skinner, Brenda S. Bridges, Stephen D. Reiling, Dennis A. Watkins

Bulletins

This report uses breakeven analysis to assess the financial feasibility of two health maintenance organization (HMO) models which have received considerable support from health-care professionals as potentially viable organizations in rural areas. The two models analyzed, the individual practice association and satellite clinic, represent quite different organizational and financial structures. Enrollment levels required for each HMO model to attain financial viability for specified premium rates are calculated. In addition, the effects of varying key health-care utilization rates on an HMO's financial position are assessed. This information should be of interest to extension agents and others who are working with groups …

B756: Factors Affecting The Unit Costs Of Milk Distribution, Homer B. Metzger

Bulletins

Large variation in unit costs among firms performing essentially the same functions is characteristic of the milk distribution industry. This is so despite their operating under economic conditions which provide generally similar prices for goods and services needed for processing and delivery operations. Presumably the special character of the firms in terms of size, management, age of facilities, and equipment may account for cost differences. What the factors may be is import ant to understanding the ability of firms to operate profitably under a pricing system in which prices received for products sold are largely determined by the lowest cost …

B750: Community Services In Randolph, Vassalboro, And Rome, Maine, Louis A. Ploch

Bulletins

This study of three Kennebec County towns - Randolph, Vassalboro, and Rome - is a part of the Northeast cooperative project titled "Community Services for Nonmetropolitan People in the Northeast," (Kuehn, 1977). In 1974 and 1975, researchers from nine university-related agricultural experiment stations, functioning as Northeast Regional Committee NE-77 conducted studies to determine variations in community services and reactions of residents to them.

It was originally hypothesized by the NE-77 researchers that in a study of the availability, use of, and satisfaction with services in the Northeast, counties would serve as the most useful unit of analysis. The utility of …

B746: Economies Of Size For Maine Potato Packing Plants, Edward F. Johnston

Bulletins

The objective of this study was to find where economies in scale lie, and what, if any, would be the preferred or most economical in packing facilities. Data relative to equipment and labor requirements and capabilities and to materials and services were obtained through manufacturers, sales agencies, research studies and case studies. Two computerized programs were developed to select equipment, labor, and facilities which would be most efficient and least-cost and this was done for packing 10-pound bags with potatoes. Ten model lines resulted from the analysis allowing for input rates of 80 to 800 cwt/hr when based on a …

B742: Improving The Incomes Of Small Farm Families In Coastal Maine, Homer B. Metzger, Nicholas E. Flanders

Bulletins

Two basic objectives were formulated for this study: 1) To determine the physical, human and financial resources, as well as the source of income from farm and non-farm outlets available to small farm families living in coastal Maine; and, 2) To develop optimal organizations of existing small farm and family labor resources in order to maximize the incomes of these farm families.

B741: Structure, Conduct, And Performance Of The Commercial Campground Industry In Maine, Part: Ii Industry Conduct And Performance, Louis W. Pompi, George J. Seel

Bulletins

Tourism and recreation constitute a growing and important part of Maine's economy. During 1973, Maine's tourist industry accounted for nearly $259 million of direct expenditures by tourists who spent an estimated 22.5 million tourist days in the State (4, p.2). This business activity provided 6.5 percent of 1973 total employment for all industries in Maine and generated state government tax revenues of nearly $30 million or approximately 6 percent of all state revenues for that year (4, p. 3).

A recent study of tourism in Maine indicates that total business activity generated by that industry can be estimated using a …

B739: Structure, Conduct, And Performance Of The Commercial Campground Industry In Maine Part I: Industry Structure, Louis W. Pompi, George J. Seel

Bulletins

The major objective of this research was to assemble basic, quantitative data for Maine's commercial campground industry and to analyze these data for the purpose of providing a detailed description of the industry's organizational structure, conduct, and performance. A large amount of information was assembled and organized and has been presented in some detail in preceding sections. Major findings of the structural analysis and, where appropriate, conclusions are summarized below.

B704: Costs And Returns On Maine Apple Farms, Wilbert C. Geiss Jr., Reginald K. Harlan

Bulletins

The purpose of this study was to collect data relative to the costs of growing, harvesting, storing, and packing apples in Maine, to analyze the factors affecting costs and returns, and to provide Maine apple producers with current information for adjusting farm resources to achieve optimum efficiency in production under rapidly changing economic conditions.

This study was undertaken to determine the profitability of Maine apple farms, and to determine the current size and scope of the Maine apple industry. The results and implications of this study should be useful to all concerned with the apple industry in Maine and New …

B700: Seasonal Home Residents In Five Maine Communities, Socio-Economic Characteristics, Use Patterns, And Environmental Attitudes, D. M. Tobey

Bulletins

The trend of seasonal residency is growing in Maine. Maine, as a state and by individual communities, needs to know more about its seasonal residents if it is to accommodate their recreational demands now and plan for changing use patterns in the future. Such questions as how many children the seasonal resident has in his household, how many days the seasonal home is in use each season, and what the resident plans to do with his property in the future are all-important for recreational planning both state-wide and on an individual community basis.

In this study, the investigator has attempted …