Geography Commons^™

Geo-Politics, The ‘War On Terror’ And The Competitiveness Of The City Of London, Richard Woodward

Books/Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

¿Cuál Geografía?, Shawn Van Ausdal, Claudia Leal, Alejandro Guarín

Shawn Van Ausdal

A review of the conception of geography in two books written by economists: John Gallup, Alejandro Gaviria and Eduardo Lora, América Latina: ¿condenada por su geografía? (Banco Mundial y Alfaomega Colombiana, 2003); and

Santiago Montenegro, Sociedad abierta, geografía y desarrollo (Norma, 2006).

Empirical Analysis Of Poverty And Inequality In West Virginia, Hector Addison

Hector Addison

Poverty and income inequality have attracted a lot of attention in recent literature and policy discussions. Using Ordinary Least Squares and Two stage least squares and cross sectional data for all counties in West Virginia, this study examines the determinants of poverty and income inequality and possibility of simultaneous relationship between them. Findings indicate there is a weak simultaneous relationship and income inequality is declining among aged 65 and above. Education, seen as social equalizer does not provide any evidence in reducing income inequality in West Virginia but as more and more women take up headship in families, poverty and …

Critical Examination Of Ghana’S Agriculture Policy Under Vision 2020 Document - Ppt, Hector Addison

Hector Addison

Ghana, like many developing economies has a huge agricultural based with cocoa being the major export commodity. Since independence in 1957, Ghana had struggled to put together and implement and model of development that guarantees better life for her citizenry. This paper looks at one such document and analyzes it from agriculture perspective in the context of present realities. It is clear that Ghana stands to gain from a transformed agricultural sector which might lead the way to discover the eluded glory as a resource endowed nation

Globalization, Regional Economic Policy And Research, Edward Feser

Edward J Feser

This paper considers two questions. First, are there unique implications of growing global economic integration for development planning and policy making at the city and regional level? Key issues include whether globalization is appreciably different today than it used to be and whether it means anything more, from the perspective of a given city or region, than heightened competition for resident industries and related challenges of more rapid macro-regional structural change and adjustment. Second, what kinds of spatial empirical research and model building would be most valuable to regional policy makers faced with designing programs and making specific allocative investment …

U.S. Regional Economic Fragmentation & Integration: Selected Empirical Evidence And Implications, Edward J. Feser, Geoffrey Hewings

Edward J Feser

The emergence of ten U.S. megaregions—increasingly contiguous spaces of high density development and population capturing a high share of U.S. economic activity—raises the question of appropriate scales for local, state and federal policy and how regional planning as a practice can adapt to an extended and, in some cases, almost continuous economic integration over space (RPA, 2006). Notions of cities as functional economic areas, more or less distinct spaces that operate as independent economic units, are less and less tenable as the basis for planning and policy making. At the same time, the megaregion phenomenon does not necessarily imply that …

Encouraging Broadband Deployment From The Bottom Up, Edward J. Feser

Edward J Feser

State governments that have elected to make investments to increase the availability of affordable broadband service in rural areas and low income urban neighborhoods should organize their efforts around a strategy that encourages and leverages locally-driven initiatives, rather than follow a top-down approach that seeks to identify and close all broadband service gaps in a comprehensive fashion. A bottom-up approach to state broadband policy has three major advantages. First, it is a conservative policy response in an economic arena in which the appropriate role of the public sector is highly contested and in which private sector deployment is proceeding rapidly, …

The Eu–Acp Economic Partnership Agreements And The ‘Development Question’: Constraints And Opportunities Posed By Article Xxiv And Special And Differential Treatment Provisions Of The Wto, Cosmas Milton Obote Obote Ochieng Ochieng

Cosmas Milton Obote Ochieng Ochieng

This article argues that Article XXIV and special and differential treatment (SDT) provisions of the WTO present a number of constraints and opportunities to the design and scope of the proposed economic partnership agreements between the European Union (EU) and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. It examines the negotiating positions of both sides to argue that were the EU's position to prevail, ACP and other developing countries would likely suffer an ‘erosion of the development principles’ embedded within the WTO. It is shown that the differences between the two groups over the desirability and/or applicability of negotiating free trade …

Revitalising African Agriculture Through Innovative Business Models And Organisational Arrangements: Promising Developments In The Traditional Crops Sector, Cosmas Milton Obote Ochieng Ochieng

Cosmas Milton Obote Ochieng Ochieng

Within the last four years, a number of high profile reports outlining new strategies for pulling African agriculture out of its current impasse have emerged. These include the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme of NEPAD, and the InterAcademy Council Report commissioned by UN Secretary General Koffi Annan. Whilst these strategies are a welcome improvement on those that have characterised African agriculture in the past, it is argued here that like their predecessors, they fail to focus on business-competitive approaches as an integral part of the reform package needed to stimulate African agricultural productivity and development. This paper draws on innovation, …

Development Through Positive Deviance And Its Implications For Economic Policy Making And Public Administration In Africa: The Case Of Kenyan Agricultural Development, 1930–2005, Cosmas Milton Obote Ochieng Ochieng

Cosmas Milton Obote Ochieng Ochieng

Positive internal innovation has long been a central element of African agricultural development, even if modern efforts to stimulate technical, institutional, and policy innovations in African agriculture have tended to look outwards. This paper examines the role of positive deviance in Kenyan agriculture over the last 75 years to cast doubt on the alleged authoritative sources of policy advice and mandates from the outside. Positive deviance and appreciative inquiry are suggested as organizing frameworks for identifying and amplifying the generation and uptake of internal African innovations.

Analysis Of American And Canadian Cross-Border Business Expansion In The Pacific Northwest, Brian Morgans

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

American and Canadian markets rely on each other greatly, given the volume of trade that exists between the two nations. Companies of both nationalities see opportunity in business growth by accessing the market and establishing a physical presence in the other country. American firms which expanded into the Lower Mainland in British Columbia and Canadian firms which expanded into Whatcom County in Washington State were surveyed to identify reasons for, and obstacles to expansion. Canadian companies cited strategic value and benefits of proximity to British Columbia. American companies cited strategic positioning and labor availability as benefits in the expansion process. …

An Investigation Of Congestion Pricing Options For Southbound Freight At The Pacific Highway Crossing, Matthew Roelofs, Mark (Mark Christopher) Springer

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

Recent years have witnessed an increase in border security as well as continued growth in international truck traffic at the Pacific Highway Crossing (PHC) in Blaine, Washington. As noted in a recent study, the number of commercial vehicles crossing the border between British Columbia and Whatcom County, Washington, nearly doubled during the nineties, and nearly three-fourths of all trucks crossing this stretch of border are processed at PHC. Congestion at PHC continues to be a concern; the study mentioned above found the average waiting time per southbound truck over a four-day period in the summer of 2002 to be about …

Service Time Variability At The Blaine, Washington, International Border Crossing And The Impact On Regional Supply Chains, Anne Victoria Goodchild, Susan Albrecht, Steven Globerman

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

Service times at vehicle processing facilities (borders, weigh stations, landside marine port gates) are variable, thereby causing transportation planning challenges for carriers that visit them on a regular basis. Carriers must either build in more time than is necessary, therefore underutilizing their equipment, or risk missing delivery windows, which can result in fines or cause lost business opportunities. In this study, border crossing times at Blaine, Washington, are examined. The variability in crossing times at this border crossing, and the impact of this variability on regional supply chains is considered for bi-directional trade. Directional, daily, hourly, and seasonal variations are …

Diversity Of The Ports-Of-Entry Along The 49th Parallel, Border Policy Research Institute

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

This article discusses some traits of the ports-of-entry arrayed along the Canada – U.S. land border. The article focuses upon that portion of the border commonly referred to as the “49th parallel,” omitting discussion of the Canada – Alaska border. Discussion is also focused solely upon the usage of the ports by personal vehicles. Our intent is to reveal something about the “border experience” over the past decade, spanning the period in which post-9/11 border security measures have been deployed. There has been commentary about the extent to which cross-border travel has diminished in response to the “hardening” of the …

Border-Crossing Documentation, Border Policy Research Institute

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

This article discusses issues involved with the design and development of an ID card that could serve both as a driving license and as a border-crossing document acceptable for transit of the Canada – U.S. land border. This topic is of interest because of two recent U.S. federal laws. One law, known as the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), changed the documentation requirements applicable to travelers entering the U.S. via the land borders. Whereas driving licenses have in the past been sufficient ID for some travelers, by June 2009 each traveler must carry either a passport or an alternative document …

Management Of The Shared Lower Fraser Valley Airshed, Border Policy Research Institute

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

This article discusses issues involved in the management of the Lower Fraser Valley (LFV) airshed, which straddles the border of Washington State and British Columbia. Many factors influence the management of the airshed, including geography, asymmetric patterns of growth, and differing regulatory contexts. There have been episodes of controversy associated with airshed management, with the greatest recent controversy centered around a 1999 proposal to build an electric generation facility in Sumas, Washington. The socalled “SE2” facility (Sumas Energy 2) received construction permits from Washington State, but died when Canada’s National Energy Board denied a power-line permit that was needed to …

Sustainability And The Border, Border Policy Research Institute

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

This article reflects upon how the concept of sustainability relates to the Canada – U.S. border. How does the border contribute to sustainability? In what ways is sustainability hindered by the border? In the Pacific Northwest, sustainability is an increasingly important collaborative goal of state and provincial governments, so consideration of these questions is worthwhile.

Canada-Us Information Sharing And The Case Of Maher Arar, Bidisha Biswas

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

This article discusses the controversy related to the detention and rendition by US authorities of Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen. The Arar case is particularly significant because of the intense publicity, debate, and mobilization that it has engendered in Canada. This case illustrates problems posed by the expectations and practices of information sharing in Canada – US security cooperation.

Local Stakeholders Governing Water Across The 49th Parallel, Emma S. Norman, Karen J. Bakker

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

This article analyzes how local stakeholders along the Canada – U.S. border are increasingly involved in binational governance of water. The article highlights the growing influence of regional, multi-jurisdictional organizations such as the Washington – B.C. Shared Waters Alliance, as well as the changing role of long-standing supranational institutions such as the International Joint Commission. Particular emphasis is given to the topic of the relative institutional capacity of local groups within multi-jurisdictional, international structures. The article concludes with remarks that can guide public policy on local involvement in transboundary water issues.

Risk Evaluation Of Invasive Species Transport Across The U.S.-Canada Border In Washington State, Laura J. (Laura Jean) Sellens, April J. Markiewicz, Wayne G. Landis

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

Non-indigenous invasive species (NIS) create a multitude of undesired economic, social, and ecological effects. Financial costs include reduced revenue and property value, and prevention and control expenditures (Pimentel et al., 2000). Social impacts include reduction in preferred uses including cultural and recreational activities, as well as loss of valued aesthetic qualities and civic pride in the surrounding ecological landscape (Bureau of Land Management, 2006). Ecological impacts include changes in soil and water quality, alteration of habitats, and displacement of native species (Elton, 1958).

Projecting Washington - British Columbia Truck Freight Border Crossings And Arterial Usage, Hamilton Galloway, Eric L. Jessup, Ken Casavant

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

Continuing adaptation to changing transportation needs is critical in maintaining efficiency and reducing costs of raw and manufactured goods to ensure economic stability and growth. With bilateral trade in excess of $1.4 billion per day between the U.S. and Canada and over 200 million annual crossings (passenger vehicles and freight trucks) (U.S. Embassy, Ottawa, 2006), knowledge of the composition of commodities crossing the border and the growth in the flow of those commodities is vital to future policy making. This report focuses on cross-border flows by truck between Washington and British Columbia, through decomposition of the northbound and southbound flows …

Are Home Values Affected By Sinkhole Proximity? Results Of A Hedonic Price Model, Spencer Fleury Ph.D.

Spencer Fleury Ph.D.

Though they lack the high profile and sheer destructive force of hurricanes, floods, and other natural hazards, sinkholes have on occasion generated significant damage to buildings, roads, and other human-built structures, and should be considered natural hazards in their own right. In sinkhole-prone areas where market insurance against sinkhole damage is available, economic theory suggests that homes located there should be valued somewhat lower than homes located in areas where sinkholes are rare or nonexistent, in recognition of both the risk faced by the homeowner in a sinkhole-prone area, and the cost of insuring one’s property against that risk. Working …