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Central Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Third Quarter 2016, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Central Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

The Central Minnesota planning area is expected to experience a slowing of economic growth over the next several months according to predictions of the Central Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). The leading index fell by 2.90 points in the most recent period, with three components producing negative readings. Weakness in a general measure of statewide business conditions along with slowing residential building permits in the St. Cloud area helped tip the index down this quarter. An increase in initial jobless claims in Central Minnesota also had a negative impact on the LEI in the third quarter. An uptick …

Northeast Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Third Quarter 2016, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Northeast Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

A deceleration of economic growth in Northeast Minnesota is expected over the next several months according to the predictions of the Northeast Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). Two of the five components of the LEI increased as the overall index fell by 1.36 points in the third quarter. An increase in new filings of incorporation in the Northeast Minnesota planning area and lower initial jobless claims had a positive impact on the LEI, while recent weakness in a general measure of statewide business conditions and a fall in a supply managers’ survey helped drive the index lower. A …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Third Quarter 2016, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

The Northwest Minnesota planning area economy is expected to continue to grow at a pace that is somewhat below normal over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University (SCSU) Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). Two of the five components of the leading index were lower in the third quarter, as the LEI fell by 0.81 points. A declining Rural Mainstreet Index (which signals a more challenging macroeconomic environment for rural America) and weaker consumer sentiment helped drive the index lower. Lower initial jobless claims and rising new filings for incorporation …

Southeast Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Third Quarter 2016, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Southeast Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Acceleration of economic growth in Southeast Minnesota is expected over the next several months according to the most recent prediction of the Southeast Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). After a quarter in which the LEI experienced a 3.18 point decline, the Southeast Minnesota leading index reversed course by rising 2.34 points in the third quarter of 2016. The increased LEI was led by a rise in the number of residential building permits in Rochester as well as higher new filings of incorporation and LLC in the Southeast Minnesota planning area. Three components of the LEI had negative readings …

Twin Cities Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Third Quarter 2016, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Twin Cities Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

A slower pace of economic growth is expected over the next several months in the Twin Cities according to the prediction of the St. Cloud State University Twin Cities Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). The Twin Cities LEI fell 5.70 points in the third quarter after a nearly neutral reading in the previous quarter. Four of the five index components decreased in the third quarter. Lower initial claims for unemployment insurance were the only index component that had a positive impact on this quarter’s LEI. Weakness in two general measures of statewide business conditions had a negative effect on …

Southwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Third Quarter 2016, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Southwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Normal economic growth in Southwest Minnesota is expected over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University (SCSU) Southwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). Two of four LEI components were positive in the third quarter. An increase in new filings of incorporation and LLC and a jump in Mankato residential building permits made favorable contributions to the LEI this quarter. An increase in initial jobless claims and weakness in the rural outlook weighed on the index. After rising 1.27 points in the second quarter, the Southwest Minnesota LEI was essentially flat in …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: December 16, 2016, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 fell by 0.32% during November of 2016. The decline in the LEI-N, which predicts economic activity six months in the future, suggests that economic growth will be modest in Nebraska during the first half of 2017. Four of six components of the LEI-N were negative during November. Airline passenger counts and manufacturing hours both declined during the month. There also was another increase in the value of the U.S. dollar during November, a negative for export-oriented businesses in Nebraska. Initial claims for unemployment insurance rose during the month. Two components of the indicator …

The State Of The Region: Hampton Roads 2016, James V. Koch, Vinod Agarwal, Christopher B. Colburn, Vicky Curtis, Steve Daniel, Larry "Chip" Filer, Timothy Komarek, Feng Lian, Sharon Lomax, Wolfgang Mairinger, Alice Mcadory, Robert Mcnab, Janet Molinaro, Lisa Suhay

Economics Faculty Books

This is Old Dominion University's 17th annual State of the Region report. While it represents the work of many people connected in various ways to the university, the report does not constitute an official viewpoint of Old Dominion or it's president, John R. Broderick. The report maintains the goal of stimulating thought and discussion that ultimately will make Hampton Roads an even better place to live. We are proud of our region's many successes, but realize that it is possible to improve our performance. In order to do so, we must have accurate information about "where we are" and a …

Northeast Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Second Quarter 2016, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Northeast Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Modest improvement in Northeast Minnesota economic conditions is expected over the next several months according to the predictions of the Northeast Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). Two of the five components of the LEI increased as the overall index rose for a second straight quarter. An improvement in a general measure of statewide business conditions and a rise in a supply managers’ survey index had a positive impact on the LEI, while a rise in initial jobless claims earlier in the year dragged down the index. Sluggish new filings for incorporation earlier this year and a decline in …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Second Quarter 2016, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

The Northwest Minnesota planning area economy is expected to grow at a slower pace than normal over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University (SCSU) Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). Three of the five components of the leading index were lower in the second quarter, causing the LEI to decrease by 3.66 points. A declining Rural Mainstreet Index (which signals a more challenging macroeconomic environment for rural America), a smaller number of residential building permits in Fargo/Moorhead and Grand Forks/East Grand Forks, and lower new filings for incorporation and LLC …

Southeast Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Second Quarter 2016, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Southeast Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Economic growth in Southeast Minnesota is expected to be steady over the next several months according to the most recent prediction of the Southeast Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). After a quarter in which the LEI experienced a small decline, the Southeast Minnesota leading index fell by 3.18 points in the second quarter of 2016. The fall in the LEI was caused by a sharp rise in initial claims for unemployment benefits in recent months—the other four index components have positive readings. Improvement in the Minnesota Business Conditions Index (which serves as a general measure of state business …

Southwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Second Quarter 2016, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Southwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

A steady improvement in economic conditions in Southwest Minnesota is expected over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University (SCSU) Southwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). While three of four LEI components were negative in the second quarter, a decline in initial jobless claims in recent months helped keep the index in positive territory in the second quarter. After rising 3.14 points in the first quarter, the Southwest Minnesota LEI increased by 1.27 points in the current quarter. A weakness in the rural outlook, some sluggishness in new business filings earlier …

Twin Cities Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Second Quarter 2016, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Twin Cities Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

A steady pace of economic growth is expected over the next several months in the Twin Cities according to the prediction of the St. Cloud State University Twin Cities Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). The Twin Cities LEI was essentially unchanged in the second quarter, after rising by a revised 3.95 points in the first quarter. Three of the five index components increased in the second quarter. Lower initial claims for unemployment insurance and improvement in two general measures of statewide business conditions had a positive effect on the index, while a recent slowing of residential building permits in …

Central Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Second Quarter 2016, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Central Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

The Central Minnesota planning area is expected to experience economic growth that is slightly weaker than normal over the next several months according to predictions of the Central Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). The leading index fell by 2.41 points in the most recent period, with two components producing negative readings. Weaker new filings for business incorporation along with slowing residential building permits in the St. Cloud area helped tip the index down this quarter. Improvements in a general measure of statewide business conditions and a decrease in initial jobless claims in Central Minnesota had a positive impact …

The Influence Of The Electric Supply Industry On Economic Growth In Less Developed Countries, Edward Richard Bee

Dissertations

This study measures the impact that electrical outages have on manufacturing production in 135 less developed countries using stochastic frontier analysis and data from World Bank’s Investment Climate surveys. Outages of electricity, for firms with and without backup power sources, are the most frequently cited constraint on manufacturing growth in these surveys.

Outages are shown to reduce output below the production frontier by almost five percent in Africa and by a lower percentage in South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East and North Africa. Production response to outages is quadratic in form. Outages also increase labor cost, reduce exports …

Are African Workers Getting Ahead In The New South Africa? Evidence From Kwazulu-Natal, 1993-1998, Paul L. Cichello, Gary S. Fields, Murray Leibbrandt

Gary S Fields

[Excerpt] In this paper, we use the KIDS panel data to answer three questions about the ‘progress’ of African workers in this one province in post-apartheid South Africa. First, how have African workers progressed as a group? Secondly, which African workers have progressed the most, and by how much have they progressed? Thirdly, to what extent is the progress made by workers driven by transitions between employment and unemployment, or between informal and formal sector employment? We reach the following major findings. First, African workers in KwaZulu-Natal had quite diverse experiences, but experienced positive progress on average. Second, those who …

Falling Labor Income Inequality In Korea’S Economic Growth: Patterns And Underlying Causes, Gyeongjoon Yoo, Gary S. Fields

Gary S Fields

Over the last twenty-five years, the economy of the Republic of Korea achieved a remarkable growth rate of 7 percent per year in real per capita income, causing it to be labeled, justifiably, as a “miracle economy.” This exceptional economic growth has been accompanied by an even more exceptional fall in labor income inequality. Using a newly-developed methodology, we use data from Korea’s Occupational Wage Surveys to quantify the importance of various factors that have contributed to the fall in labor income inequality in Korea. We find the most important factors explaining the level of income inequality are job tenure, …

Central Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - First Quarter 2016, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Central Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Economic conditions in the Central Minnesota planning area are expected to improve over the next several months according to predictions of the Central Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). The leading index surged in the most recent period, with four components producing positive readings. Weakness in national new orders for durable goods was the only index component that registered a negative number. Improvements in a general measure of statewide business conditions and a decrease in initial jobless claims in Central Minnesota helped drive the LEI higher in the first quarter. Also contributing to the improved outlook was a rise …

Northeast Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - First Quarter 2016, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Northeast Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Northeast Minnesota economic performance is expected to improve over the next several months according to the predictions of the Northeast Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). Four of the five components of the LEI increased in the first quarter as the overall index followed up a negative reading in the fourth quarter with a positive move in the first three months of 2016. A decline in initial jobless claims in the region and a recent increase in filings for new business incorporation contributed favorably to the first quarter LEI. In addition, an improvement in a general measure of state …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - First Quarter 2016, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

An increased pace of economic activity is expected in Northwest Minnesota over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University (SCSU) Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). While two of the five components of the leading index were lower in the first quarter, the LEI still increased by 5.49 points. A rise in the Rural Mainstreet Index (which signals a less challenging macroeconomic environment for rural America), lower initial jobless claims in the region, and a slight increase in Fargo/Moorhead and Grand Forks/East Grand Forks residential building permits helped drive the index …

Southeast Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - First Quarter 2016, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Southeast Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Southeast Minnesota economic performance is expected to remain steady over the next several months according to the most recent prediction of the Southeast Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). After a quarter in which the LEI experienced a small gain, the Southeast Minnesota leading index once again tallied a small increase by rising 0.6 points in the first quarter of 2016. Three of the five index components were positive in the most recent quarter. Improvement in the Minnesota Business Conditions Index (which serves as a general measure of state business conditions), falling quarterly claims for unemployment benefits, and an …

Twin Cities Area Economic And Business Conditions Report - First Quarter 2016, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Twin Cities Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Twin Cities economic performance is expected to improve over the next several months according to the prediction of the St. Cloud State University Twin Cities Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). The Twin Cities LEI rose by 11.19 points in the first quarter, as all five index components increased. Among the factors accounting for the improved outlook is an increase in new filings for LLC and incorporation in the first quarter as well as an improvement in a general measure of statewide business conditions. Lower initial claims for unemployment insurance, an increase in the number of residential building permits in …

Southwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - First Quarter 2016, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

Southwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Economic conditions are expected to improve in Southwest Minnesota over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University (SCSU) Southwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). A strengthening rural outlook, a recent increase in new business filings, and fewer initial jobless claims in the first quarter helped drive the leading index higher. A small reduction in residential building permits in Mankato served as a drag on the leading index in the first quarter.

There were 665 new business filings with the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State in Southwest Minnesota in the …

Broadband And Mobile Internet Services In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2016 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy

Nebraska Rural Poll

Most rural Nebraskans use their cell phone to access the Internet. Certain groups are more likely than others to use mobile/cellular Internet service: rural Nebraskans with the highest household incomes, who are younger, married, with higher education levels and with management or professional occupations.

Overall, most rural Nebraskans using mobile/cellular Internet service are satisfied with their service. Furthermore, most rural Nebraskans are satisfied with the reliability, speed, customer service, and coverage of their mobile Internet service. However, most rural Nebraskans using mobile Internet service are dissatisfied with the price of their service.

Certain groups have issues with various aspects of …

Corporate Responsibility In Peace Building, Conflict Prevention And Development: The Role Of The Mining Sector In Ghana, Abdul Karim Issifu

Journal of Interdisciplinary Conflict Science

This article seeks to explore the role of the mining sector in peace building, conflict prevention and community development in Ghana. After thoroughly reviewing secondary data, including articles, books, journals, newspapers, etc., via critical document review and qualitative research approaches the research found that, there is no legal document on CSR in Ghana, yet mining companies in a free will, have executed CSR programs laying down for peace, security and development in the country. More so, this article provides a theoretical support for the Integrative theory of CSR on the basis that, the socio-economic, political, cultural and environmental needs of …

Central Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Fourth Quarter 2015, Richard A. Macdonald, King Banaian

Central Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Slower economic growth in the Central Minnesota planning area is expected to persist over the next several months according to predictions of the Central Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). For the second consecutive quarter, the leading index fell in the most recent period, with three components becoming negative. Weakness in a general measure of statewide business conditions and an increase in seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims in Central Minnesota helped drag the LEI lower in the fourth quarter. Also contributing to slower growth was a fall in the number of St. Cloud area residential building permits.

Increased new …

Northeast Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Fourth Quarter 2015, Richard A. Macdonald, King Banaian

Northeast Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Northeast Minnesota economic performance is expected to weaken over the next several months according to the predictions of the Northeast Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). Four of the five components of the LEI decreased in the fourth quarter as the overall index followed up a slight negative reading in the third quarter with a more significant decline in the final three months of 2015. A jump in initial jobless claims in the region and a large decline in filings for new business incorporation weighed on the fourth quarter LEI. In addition, weakness in a general measure of state …

Northwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Fourth Quarter 2015, Richard A. Macdonald, King Banaian

Northwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

A steady pace of economic activity is expected in Northwest Minnesota over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University (SCSU) Northwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). Two of the five components of the leading index were lower in the fourth quarter and the LEI was essentially unchanged at -0.24 points. A fall in the Rural Mainstreet Index (which signals a more challenging macroeconomic environment for rural America) and a rise in initial jobless claims were the two components that helped drag down the LEI. Increased new filings for incorporation and limited …

Southeast Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Fourth Quarter 2015, Richard A. Macdonald, King Banaian

Southeast Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Southeast Minnesota economic performance is expected to remain steady over the next several months according to the most recent prediction of the Southeast Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). After a quarter in which the LEI fell by 11.23 points, the Southeast Minnesota leading index increased by 0.8 points in the fourth quarter of 2015. Three of the five index components were negative in the most recent quarter. Weakness in the Minnesota Business Conditions Index (which serves as a general measure of state business conditions), rising quarterly claims for unemployment benefits, and a decline in new business filings for …

Southwest Minnesota Economic And Business Conditions Report - Fourth Quarter 2015, Richard A. Macdonald, King Banaian

Southwest Minnesota Economic and Business Conditions Report

Economic conditions are expected to improve in Southwest Minnesota over the next several months according to the predictions of the St. Cloud State University (SCSU) Southwest Minnesota Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI). A rise in Mankato area single family residential building permits and fewer initial jobless claims in the fourth quarter helped drive the leading index higher. A weakening in the rural outlook made a negative contribution to the LEI this quarter. Lower new filings for incorporation and limited liability company (LLC) also served as a drag on the leading index in the fourth quarter.

There were 550 new …