Regional Economics Commons^™

From Bushels To Barrels: A Descriptive Analysis Of The U.S. Whiskey Industry, Ryan Murphy

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

This thesis provides a comprehensive analysis of the U.S. whiskey industry, emphasizing distilleries' geographic distribution, operational characteristics, and the agricultural landscapes surrounding them. Particular attention is given to the feasibility of U.S. distilleries locally sourcing grains used in production. Grain demand ranges were estimated for the 1,485 distilleries analyzed within this study. Using cropland and yield data from the USDA, local grain availability was approximated for comparison. Results indicate that a distillery's local sourcing feasibility is significantly impacted by its production capacity and geographic location.

Additionally, this research documents the development of an interactive web application designed to evaluate the …

Revolutionizing Lithium Extraction: Analysis Of Factors Affecting Commercialization Timelines With Insights From The Shale Gas Boom, Bilge Tayyar

CMC Senior Theses

This study draws parallels between Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) and hydraulic fracturing to highlight the transformative potential of DLE technology in the lithium industry. The comparative analysis supports the hypothesis that DLE might expedite commercialization timelines, similar to the effect hydraulic fracturing has had on traditional shale gas extraction. The study includes a regression analysis to determine the factors affecting the commercialization of conventional lithium brine extraction methods, thereby better understanding the potential changes DLE will create. The regression model, based on data from 11 projects, examines the impact of variables such as temperature range, tax rates, royalty rates, regulatory …

Essays On Public Finance And International Finance, Deepti Sikri

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

The first chapter examines New York State's Fiscal Score Monitoring program to find the effect of two quality labels on school district outcomes: fiscal stress scores, reflecting the budget solvency, and environmental stress labels reflecting economic and demographic conditions. Using the NYS school district data from 2013-22, I employ the regression discontinuity design to find the effect of stress labels, in response to the political pressure on district finances, housing, and school outcomes. I find the effect of fiscal stress label is limited, leading to a decrease in the fund balance ratio and an increase in the tax rate. However, …

A Tale Of Two Working Landscapes, Sage C. Sutcliffe

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Perceptions Of The Farm Bill Among Nonmetropolitan Nebraskans, Rebecca J. Vogt, Heather Akin, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Bradley D. Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer, Steven A. Schulz

Nebraska Rural Poll

The federal legislation known as the farm bill encompasses all things related to agriculture and food. This includes not only farm income safety net and conservation programs that typically come to mind when thinking about the farm bill, but also domestic food assistance programs (like SNAP), rural development (providing funding for items like broadband service, utilities, and housing programs) as well as programs that are focused on specific producers and crops. Given the variety of programs it entails, how familiar are rural Nebraskans with the farm bill and federal agricultural policy? Do rural Nebraskans support federal spending on the various …

Perceptions Of Childcare In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska, Rebecca J. Vogt, Heather Akin, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Bradley D. Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer, Steven A. Schulz

Nebraska Rural Poll

Lack of childcare is an issue in many rural Nebraska communities. According to a report from Voices for Children, most counties in the state (91%) do not have enough available licensed childcare slots to meet the current demand there. Furthermore, 11 counties in the state have no licensed childcare facilities. Many communities are exploring options of how to address these shortages to maintain their current residents or to be able to attract new residents. Given these challenges, what types of childcare are rural Nebraskans currently using? How far do they drive to get to their childcare? And how do rural …

A Brief Comparison Of Two Early Neighborhoods: Consumerism And Social Class In 20th Century Lincoln, Nebraska, Mariska Molnar

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

In the Fall of 2018, Matthew Hansen monitored the destruction of a parking lot two blocks north of the Capitol Building in Lincoln, Nebraska for the subsequent building of a geothermal system. During this period, and excavation was conducted with the aid of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Campus Archaeology Project, and 12 features were identified. Five features produced artifacts, with Feature 11, a cistern, being the most fruitful. The collection was named the Capitol Wellfield, and a portion of the artifacts, which includes diagnostic glass and ceramic pieces, are housed on campus for studying.

Most research and publication have been …

A Comparison Of Clustered And Isolated Casino Performance In Missouri, Douglas M. Walker, Todd M. Nesbit

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

This paper utilizes data on Missouri’s casino industry to examine how clustered casinos, such as those in Kansas City and St. Louis, perform compared to dispersed or isolated casinos, such as those in Boonville, Caruthersville, La Grange, and St. Joseph. Missouri limits the number of casino licenses allowed; however, it does not explicitly mandate casino locations. Missouri provides a unique natural experiment for comparing location model performance. Although there is no published research on which type of casino location model is more effective for generating industry revenues and associated taxes, state legislatures have nevertheless been following an isolated casino location …

Nebraska Crop Budgets 2024, Robert N. Klein, Glennis Mcmclure

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

The 2024 Nebraska Crop budget projections were created using cropping practice norms for many producers in Nebraska. However, each individual farming operation is unique, and these budgets should be used only as a guide. The budgets for 2024 are available in the Agricultural Budget Calculator program at:https://agbudget.unl.edu/. To modify these budgets, you can download UNL budgets into your ABC program account or create your own. In addition, the reports for each of the 2024 crop budgets are saved as printable (PDF) files. See also the new budget calculator at https://cap.unl.edu/abc.

The following individuals contributed to these budgets …

Community Well-Being And Civil Discourse In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska, Rebecca J. Vogt, Heather Akin, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Bradley D. Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer, Steven A. Schulz

Nebraska Rural Poll

Rural Nebraskans are more positive about the current change in their communities this year but are less positive about its future. Starting two years ago, the proportion believing their community changed for the worse was more than the proportion believing it had changed for the better (similar to what occurred in 2003 and 2009). However, this year that trend reversed back to the typical pattern. This year, more believe their community has changed for the better than has changed for the worse. When asked about what they expect ten years from now, this year more people believe their community will …

Cultivation Of Scientific And Technological Innovation Talents For The Belt And Road Initiative: China’S Advantages, Challenges And Critical Paths, Jin Qin, Shixin Tan, Yizhu Shen, Liuzhu Gong, Jianxun Chu, Liangchen Fan, Xinhe Bao

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Scientific and technological talents are critical resources to China and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Although China is the most favorable destination country for overseas students in Asia, it is facing increasing global competition for talents, especially from the developed countries that have introduced policies to attract international students and scientific and technological innovation talents, China highly needs to figure out how to attract more high-quality foreign students and talents, and how to cultivate more innovation talents to serve the Belt and Road development. This study first evaluates science and education rankings of the Belt and Road countries and …

U.S. Trade And Investment Restrictions: Laudable But Costly Goals, Christine Mcdaniel

Yeutter Institute International Trade Policy Review

U.S. Commerce Secretary Raimondo’s recent visit to China resulted in the announcement of a new “export control enforcement information exchange” between the United States and China. The laudable goal is to prevent China from using U.S. technology for military purposes against the United States or our allies. An information exchange may be a way to explain things to each other, but the fact remains that the export controls are indeed in place. China represents large revenue streams for three of the largest US chip producers—about 20% for Nvidia, 60% for Qualcomm, and 20-30% for Intel. If these U.S. companies cannot …

The Impact Of Fdi And Financial Depth On Eu Regional Growth: Income And Spatial Heterogeneity, Marialena Petrakou, Randolph Luca Bruno, Nick Phelps

Economic and Business Review

Background and objective: The paper explores the impact of foreign direct investment and financial development on regional growth at the EU regional level for 2005–2017. Both FDI and financial development are important determinants of the regions’ growth, but not for all EU regions homogeneously. Some EU regions seem to benefit more than others, depending on certain characteristics, which implies that FDI attraction policies need to bear in mind not only country specificities, but also regional specificities, hence confirming the need for developing FDI attraction policies at the subnational level: financial development, capacity building, and Investment Promotion Agencies are key, …

Perceptions Of Well-Being And The Economy In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska, Rebecca J. Vogt, Heather Akin, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Bradley D. Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer, Steven A. Schulz

Nebraska Rural Poll

This year, rural Nebraskans are more pessimistic about their current situation than they’ve been in the past ten years. The proportion believing they are worse off than they were five years ago was 27 percent, up from the 21 percent last year and 11 percent in 2021. This is the highest level since both 2003 and 2009, when 28 percent believed they were worse off. This increase in pessimism was matched with a decrease in optimism. This year, less than onehalf (45%) of rural Nebraskans believe they are better off compared to five years ago, down from 50 percent last …

Higher Education Exports Before And After Covid, John C. Beghin, Byungyul Park

Yeutter Institute International Trade Policy Review

Historically, the higher education system in countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Developing (OECD), a grouping of advanced economies, and especially in the United States, has been a magnet for foreign students, both graduate and undergraduates. Graduate students tend to be supported by teaching and research assistantships from the hosting university and do not generate direct revenues for the hosting institution. They do contribute to the economy with their productivity in research projects and with their private consumption. In contrast, most undergraduate foreign students pay fees and tuition which are often higher than those paid by local …

Could Information About Honey Fraud Increase Consumers’ Valuation Of Domestic Honey In The Face Of Rising Honey Imports In The U.S. And Eu?, Christopher Gustafson, Antoine Champetier

Yeutter Institute International Trade Policy Review

The consumption of honey, which has been sought out by humans for use as food and medicine for thousands of years, has been increasing in recent decades with rising incomes and attention paid to food choices and health. In two decades, honey consumption in the U.S. has risen from 1.2 pound per capita per year to 1.9 in 2021. In the European Union, per capita consumption rose from 1.5 to 2.1 pounds per capita over the same period. While this might appear to be a boon for U.S. and EU beekeepers, honey is a heavily traded product, and imports from …

Can Sanctions End Wars?, E. Wesley F. Peterson

Yeutter Institute International Trade Policy Review

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to extensive economic, financial, trade, and other types of sanctions directed at individual Russians and the Russian economy. Most European and North American countries as well as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Korea have enacted sanctions and many of them are also supporting Ukraine with military and economic assistance. Many other countries including China, India, and Brazil do not support the sanctions although 141 countries belonging to the United Nations (out of a total membership of 193) voted to condemn the war. Although the use of economic sanctions to influence the behavior of foreign …

Economic Impacts Of Investment Facilitation, Edward J. Balistreri, Zoryana Olekseyuk

Yeutter Institute International Trade Policy Review

After the successful adoption of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in 2014, investment facilitation is gaining importance as the next policy priority for a plurilateral agreement under the World Trade Organization (WTO). In fact, more than 110 WTO Members aim to conclude the negotiations on the Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement by mid-2023 after only three years of formal negotiations. Investment facilitation refers to actions taken by governments designed to attract foreign investment and maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of its administration through all stages of the investment cycle. The IFD agreement focuses on allowing investment to flow efficiently …

How’S It Going With The Cptpp?, Christine Mcdaniel

Yeutter Institute International Trade Policy Review

There is no doubt that the United States is losing out on market access. But one of the original goals of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was for a rules-based trading regime in the Pacific, namely rules not written by China. Thanks to Australia and Japan that seems to be happening even with the U.S. no longer at the helm.

The Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership or the awkwardly nicknamed CPTPP is a Pacific trading bloc that consists of 11 countries, spanning the Pacific Rim, and includes Malaysia and Chile. The member countries represent 13% of world GDP. Once the UK …

Pandemic, Retail Sales And Local Economies: Evidence From Northeast Oklahoma, Sanchari Ghosh, Brian Jackson, Ray Murphy

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

Early post-COVID pandemic studies focused on the macroeconomic impacts of that event on employment, income, healthcare costs, food security, etc. Yet there has been little emphasis on how changes in consumption spending patterns resulting from the pandemic affected retail sales and revenues, each of which are major contributors of growth for local economies. This study investigates these relationships by implementing retail pull and sales gap analyses to determine how non-metropolitan rural regions responded to consumption expenditures and retail sales before and after the pandemic. Using three cities of northeastern Oklahoma as a case study, retail pull factors at the city …

Public Support: A Missing Variable In The Trade Policy Equation, Jill O’Donnell

Yeutter Institute International Trade Policy Review

As Canada considers launching free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with Ecuador, the government wants to know what Canadians think. Ottawa makes it easy for citizens to weigh in, inviting Canadians to “join the discussion” and submit their “views, reflections and priorities” on the potential FTA through a Global Affairs Canada web page that is clear, inviting, and user-friendly. Under a section titled, “Who should participate?” the first answer given is “individuals.”

Although the Biden administration has been clear that it will not seek new FTA negotiations, taking a page from Canada’s public consultation playbook may be instructive, at least when …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: January 27, 2023, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The LEI-N fell by just 0.03% in December 2022. The leading indicator, which is designed to predict economic growth six months in the future, suggests that there will be little growth in the Nebraska economy during the first half of 2023. Three components of the leading indicator worsened in December. There was a decline in airline passenger counts on a seasonally-adjusted basis. Building permits for single-family homes also declined and there was another increase in initial claims for unemployment insurance in Nebraska. One positive component during December was the value of the U.S. dollar. The dollar declined in value which …

U.S. Energy Information Administration Information Resources, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Provides information about the resources produced by U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration. These resources cover energy statistics for U.S., states, the United States, and foreign countries. They also cover energy products as varied as coal, natural gas, nuclear energy, petroleum, and renewable energy.

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: January 6, 2023, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The LEI-N fell by 0.16% in November 2022. The leading indicator, which is designed to predict economic growth six months in the future, has fallen in four of the last six months. Such a decline implies that the Nebraska economy will stagnate during the first half of 2023. Two components of the leading indicator worsened significantly during November. There was an increase in initial claims for unemployment insurance, signaling softening in the Nebraska labor market. There was also a drop in manufacturing hours worked during the month. It will be important to monitor whether these two trends continue since a …

Quantitative Analysis Of Dutch Research And Innovation On Key Technologies: A Report For The Ministry Of Economic Affairs And Climate, Jörg Hellwig Phd, Luigi Rucco Phd

Public Reports

The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate (MinEZK) is actively shaping a National Technology Strategy (NTS) to optimize research allocation and enhance the Netherlands' global technological competitiveness. This report, commissioned by the MinEZK offers insights into the Netherlands' research capabilities across 44 key technologies and comparative data showcasing the country's standing in the global research landscape.

Urban Expansion Of Energiewende In Germany: A Systematic Bibliometric Analysis And Literature Study, Peter Yang

Faculty Scholarship

Background: Despite Germany’s world leadership of Energiewende, there have been mounting challenges, such as the slowdown of German renewable energy growth since 2017, when the Merkel administration dramatically changed the German renewable energy promotion policy from feed-in tariffs to competitive auctions. These challenges pose important research questions about whether and how an emerging urban expansion of Energiewende can serve as a vital solution to counteract the challenges to the energy transition. Answering these research questions provides a unique opportunity to explore the academic and historic foundations of the energy transition and its urban expansion, the emerging events that exemplify urban …

Handwringing Over How To Slice The Pie When Ustr Should Be Focused On Growing It, Christine Mcdaniel

Yeutter Institute International Trade Policy Review

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) recently released its report on the distributional effects of trade and trade policy on U.S. workers and “underrepresented and underserved communities.” The report catalogs a host of information gathered from a literature review and several roundtables on the adverse effects of U.S. manufacturing imports. But the report’s laser focus on manufacturing imports leaves a huge gap for readers interested in the distributional effects of trade.

Manufacturing imports are an important part of trade, but they aren’t all of trade. Trade is imports and exports, goods and services, inputs and final goods. Trade is manufacturing, …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: November 30, 2022, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The LEI-N fell by 0.12% in October 2022. The leading indicator, which is designed to predict economic growth six months in the future, has fallen in four of the last six months. Such a decline signals a stagnant economy in Nebraska at the beginning of 2023. Four components of the leading indicator worsened during October. There was an increase in initial claims for unemployment insurance, signaling some softening of the Nebraska labor market. There was also an increase in the value of the U.S. Dollar in October. A rising dollar creates challenges for Nebraska businesses that compete in international markets. …

“Friendshoring,” Ag Markets, North American Integration Among Issues Examined At Yeutter Institute Symposium, Geitner Simmons

Yeutter Institute International Trade Policy Review

A Nov. 2, 2022, symposium sponsored by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Yeutter Institute brought together experts addressing a wide array of trade matters, including global ag market dynamics, North American economic integration and Asia-Pacific economic diplomacy. Among the key questions discussed:

— What complications arise for efforts to shift trade policy toward “friendshoring”?

— How well has North American economic integration fared in the wake of NAFTA and its successor, the USMCA?

— What factors, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, are currently affecting agricultural markets and global food insecurity?

— What guideposts can best direct U.S. economic diplomacy …