Regional Economics Commons^™

Factors Affecting The Quality Of Life Of Residents In The United States: Lessons From Virginia, Daniel K. Pryce

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Evaluating community members' views about their quality of life is important for improving quality of well-being in society, as most societies are interested in the collective well-being of the people. Moreover, quality-of-life research helps public officials to understand how well they are meeting the needs of the electorate. Using the theoretical framework of Maslow's Developmental Perspective, which argues that the higher the need satisfaction of the majority in a given society the greater the quality of life of that society, I explore the effects of multiple variables on quality of life in the Hampton Roads region of Southeast Virginia (this …

Peran Kawasan Ekonomi Khusus (Kek) Terhadap Pertumbuhan Ekonomi Wilayah: Analisis Spasial Eksternalitas, Rizani Violita, Khoirunurrofik Khoirunurrofik

Jurnal Ekonomi dan Pembangunan Indonesia

This study examines the impact of SEZs in Indonesia on regional economic growth, including impacts on neighbouring regencies and cities, using a Dynamic Spatial Durbin Model. The study indicates the impact of SEZs is only evident in tourism SEZs, while manufacturing SEZs have no discernible impact. The impact of SEZs on regional growth is transient. The significant variables are prior regional growth, Domestic Investment (PMDN), Labor Force Participation Rate (TPAK), Availability of Information and Communication Technology, Human Development Index (HDI), and GRDP growth. Influencing variables in the surrounding areas include GRDP growth and the diffusion of information and communication technologies.

Part 2: Defense, The Port, And Tourism: The Pillars Of The Economy, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

There was (mostly) good news to report about the pillars of the Hampton Roads economy in 2024. More defense spending flowed into the region in 2024, and defense spending is likely to increase in 2025 and 2026. The Port of Virginia experienced gains in traffic in 2024, but tariffs has created headwinds in 2025. The hotel industry’s growth has slowed, and increasing uncertainty may undermine prospects for growth in 2025 and 2026.

Part 3: Heads Carolina, Tails Somewhere Else, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

From 2021 to 2024, Hampton Roads grew more quickly and created jobs at a faster pace than the previous decade. Even after accounting for the impacts of inflation, real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), wages, and incomes were higher than 2019. The region’s economic performance relative to other metropolitan areas, however, has left much to be desired. One reflection of Hampton Roads economic performance has been the continued outmigration of residents to other locales in the Commonwealth and, in some cases, other states.

Part 6: Reflections On The State Of The Region Report, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University, James V. Koch

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

In this chapter, Dr. James V. Koch, founding Director of the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy, reflects on the first 25 years of the State of the Region: Hampton Roads report. Dr. Koch provides insights on where the report has impacted the region. He also asks what the future may hold for the report.

Part 1: Change Is The Only Constant: The Economy Of Hampton Roads, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

We discuss how the region’s economy performed in 2024 and provide an assessment of the prospects for growth in 2025 and beyond. Rapid and significant changes in trade, immigration, tax, and expenditure policies will impact the economy of the region, state, and the nation in the coming years in unforeseen ways. We can, however, leverage historical data and experience to make informed judgements about the state of the regional economy and how it may fare over the coming year.

Part 4: The Economic Impact Of Norfolk International Airport, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Airports such as Norfolk International Airport (ORF) serve as economic engines connecting cities and regions to other localities and generate economic activity that would not otherwise occur in their absence. ORF set a record for commercial service passengers in 2019 before witnessing a dramatic fall in traffic in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Arrivals and departures quickly recovered, and ORF set a new passenger traffic record in 2024. This chapter explores the economic impact of ORF on the economy of Virginia.

Front Matter: The State Of The Region, Hampton Roads 2025, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Cover, Front Matter, Table of Contents, Sponsors, and other materials for the 2025 The State of the Region Report authored by the Center for Economic Analysis and Policy at Old Dominion University.

Part 5: Silver Tsunami For The Third Sector, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Affordable housing is only one of several societal stressors predicted to have nationwide impacts in conjunction with what has been dubbed the “Silver Tsunami,” a significant demographic shift occurring in the United States. According to Pew Research, every day, 10,000 members of the baby boomer generation—born between 1946 and 1964—reach retirement age. The implications of this demographic shift will impact every facet of life in Hampton Roads. This chapter explores how an aging population impacts nonprofits in Hampton Roads.

The State Of The Region: Hampton Roads 2025, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University, Vinod Agarwal, Josh Andrews, Andrea Barcenas, Leora Friedman, James V. Koch, Feng Lian, Anna Makhorkina, Melody Nguyen, Terry Parker, Mohamed Rahoui, Kara Sullivan, Jay Walker, Liam Ward, Robert Mcnab

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

This is Old Dominion University’s 26th annual State of the Region: Hampton Roads 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 University, its president, Brian Hemphill, Ph.D., the Board of Visitors, the Strome College of Business, or the generous donors who support the activities of the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy.

This year’s report provides an opportunity to reflect on the region’s economic performance since the COVID-19 pandemic and ask how changes in federal trade, immigration, civilian employment, and …

Part 7: Hampton Roads' Collaborative Spirit Produces Regional Results, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University, Drew Lumpkin

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

In this chapter, Drew Lumpkin, lead author, examines how collaboration has improved in Hampton Roads over the last two decades. He highlights specific examples of regional collaboration and how these efforts have changed the conversation in Hampton Roads.

Part 3: Virginia's Workforce: Understanding Apprentices, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Commonwealth Reports

This chapter examines the state of apprenticeship programs in the United States and Virginia, assessing their role in the labor market. We begin with an overview of national apprenticeship policy, tracing major laws and initiatives that have influenced the system’s evolution and expansion. We then review trends in apprenticeship participation, highlighting the states that lead in registrations and program growth. The discussion pivots to Virginia, where we analyze current occupation, wage and demographic data, and regional apprenticeship examples that connect education and industry. Finally, we consider whether apprenticeships represent a sustainable and scalable solution to the Commonwealth’s workforce challenges.

Front Matter: 2025 State Of The Commonwealth Report, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Commonwealth Reports

Cover, front matter, table of contents, sponsors, and other materials for the 2023 State of the Commonwealth Report authored by the Center for Economic Analysis and Policy at Old Dominion University,

Part 1: Virginia's Economy Slows As Challenges To Growth Rise, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Commonwealth Reports

As we near the end of 2025, we now have sufficient evidence that economic activity has slowed in Virginia. The civilian labor force and the number of individuals reporting they are at work has fallen in 2025. Weekly continued unemployment claims, which capture individuals who are unemployed, looking for work, but have not found work, have been higher for each week of 2025 when compared to 2024. Job growth has continued, but the economy is buffeted by tariffs and declines in federal employment.

Part 2: The State Of Virginia's Go Virginia Regions, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Commonwealth Reports

In this chapter, we discuss the economic performance of the nine GO Virginia regions relative to the state and nation. We examine a number of measures of economic performance: population, employment, jobs, wages, personal income, and establishments. Each of these measures is available on a more frequent basis than Gross Domestic Product (GDP), providing a more current picture of the economic activity in each GO Virginia region. In aggregate, these data allow us to construct a clearer picture of the health of Virginia’s regional economies.

Part 4: Is It Better To Give Than Receive? Exploring The Distributional Dimension Of Virginia's Budget, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Commonwealth Reports

This chapter focuses on the distribution of intergovernmental finances in Virginia. Specifically, it analyzes the distribution of state-level public resources in the Commonwealth of Virginia that takes place as a result of state-to-local intergovernmental transfers. The analysis suggests that, as a result of the manner in which state revenues are collected and allocated back to localities, some Virginians contribute significantly more to the Commonwealth budget in taxes than they receive back in local benefits, while other state residents receive more in benefits than they pay in taxes.

2025 State Of The Commonwealth Report, Vinod Agarwal, Josh Andrews, Andrea Barcenas, Jamie Boex, Leora Friedman, James V. Koch, Angela Kwao, Feng Lian, Anna Makhorkina, Melody Nguyen, Terry Parker, Mohamed Rahoui, Ashley Russ, Samia Tabassum, Jay Walker, Robert M. Mcnab

State of the Commonwealth Reports

This is Old Dominion University’s 11th annual State of the Commonwealth 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, its president, Brian Hemphill, Ph.D., the Board of Visitors, the Strome College of Business or the generous donors who support the activities of the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy.

Our work seeks to contribute to the conversation about how Virginia can foster growth across the Commonwealth without glossing over the challenges we face. We want to encourage difficult conversations to …

Mexico Consensus Economic Forecast, Volume 28, Number 1, Thomas M. Fullerton Jr., Steven L. Fullerton

Border Region Modeling Project

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Economic Sanctions In Shaping International Trade Relationships Case Study: Russia, Chick Edmond

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

Economic sanctions play an influential role in international relations by shaping the behavior of states. To address security threats and uphold international norms, countries seek to punish those responsible in violating these principles through the use of economic sanctions. The paper examines the impact of economic sanctions on trade relationships and its consequences on the Russian Economy. It also seeks to analyze the evolution of trade embargo during the post-cold war era to a more resilient and sophisticated measures in the age of globalization. Through this historical perspective, this analysis examines an important case study such as Russia by evaluating …

The Resource Curse And U.S. Timber Harvest In Western Rural Economies, Lucas Paul Koch

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

There is limited understanding of the relationship between timber harvest and economic outcomes in the western United States. I use resource curse theory to examine the connection. The theory assumes a negative relationship between timber harvest and economic performance at the county level, and similar methods have been used to look at other natural resources and geographic areas. I use timber harvest intensity—the ratio of timber harvest volume to timberland acres—alongside several common economic controls including education, poverty, and competing industry activity to estimate wage and employment performance in a fixed-effects econometric model. Also estimated are least squares dummy variable …

Essays On Place-Based Policy And Regional Economic Development, Tingting Peng

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

The first chapter examines the economic impacts of large theme park openings in China from 2000 to 2020 using a newly compiled dataset on county-level theme parks and entrepreneurship. Leveraging the staggered openings of theme parks across various counties, we document three main findings. First, theme park openings lead to a 14% increase in entrepreneurial activities, especially in tourism-related service sectors. This result is robust to the instrumental variable approach, the heterogeneous treatment effect, alternative specification and measurement, and propensity score matching. Second, theme park openings generate spillover effects on neighboring counties within a 50-75 kilometer radius. Third, we identify …

Economic Behavior And Policy Distortions: Evidence From Firms And Households, Seth Joseph Carter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In Chapter 1, I reopen the question of whether U.S. firms experience effective tax decreases directly resulting from federal lobbying expenditures by introducing more rigorous causal-inference testing. I first model lobbying as a productive input for the legislator, affecting firm tax outcomes by influencing the share of scarce legislative attention afforded to industry tax priorities. Using multi-industry, firm-level data from 2007 to 2022, I exploit percentage changes in non-industry lobbying as a proxy for political competition facing firms through a novel application of Bartik, shift-share instrumental variable estimation and two-stage residual inclusion. Effects of induced firm lobbying shifts on reported …

Three Essays On Local Labor Markets, David Henry Nason

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation consists of three essays that employ applied econometric analysis to examine issues related to local labor markets. These analyses explore three distinct sources of structural change or policy interventions and evaluate their implications for regional labor markets. I examine the impact of occupational skill endowments on regional resilience to a recessionary shock, how exposure to increases in employer skill demand affects local labor markets, and whether grants extended by an existing federally chartered regional commission have a positive impact on distressed local labor markets within its service area.

The first chapter of this dissertation studies the impact that …

Cross-Generational Perception Analysis Of The Role Of Sharia Economics In Reducing Social Inequality In Jakarta (Case Study Of Gen Z, Gen Y, Gen X, And Early Gen X), Kuncoro Hadi, Nuraini Nuraini

Journal of Middle East and Islamic Studies

This study aims to analyze cross-generational perceptions of the role of Islamic economics in reducing social inequality in Jakarta. Using a quantitative approach, this study collected data from 994 respondents divided into four age groups (18-25 years, 26-35 years, 36-45 years, and 46-55 years). Data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test to evaluate differences in perceptions between age groups on the basic principles of Islamic economics, the fairness of the system, and the effectiveness of its implementation. The results showed significant differences in understanding and perception between age groups, with 26-35 years old having the highest level of understanding. The …

External Financing, Governance, And Infrastructure Development: Evidence From Sub-Saharan Africa, Afees Oluwashina Noah, Oladipo Olalekan David

CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development

Infrastructure development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) requires diversified financing strategies to address a significant funding shortfall that cannot be met by domestic resources alone. This research evaluates the contributions of external financing—namely Official Development Assistance (ODA), Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and Private Participation in Infrastructure (PPI)—in complementing domestic efforts to advance infrastructure in SSA. It examines their influence, alongside governance, on the development of physical and social infrastructure components. Employing methodologies such as Panel-Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE) and System Generalized Method of Moments (SGMM) across 43 SSA economies from 2000 to 2022, the analysis reveals that FDI substantially enhances physical …

Takaful Insurance Industries In Supporting Sustainable Socio-Economic Development In Indonesia, Fera Widyanata, Rasyida Pertiwi, Ahmad Syathiri

Journal of Global Awareness

Over the past four years, the demand for Takaful (Islamic insurance) among Indonesians has risen. Health Takaful has emerged as the most popular, followed by educational Takaful. Health and education are parts of the Human Development Index (HDI) and are closely related to building a stronger foundation for Indonesia's economic development. This study aims to enhance the Islamic finance ecosystem's impact on achieving SDGs, focusing on health (SDG 3), education (SDG 4), and economic growth (SDG 8), which are crucial for Indonesia's development. It discovers a causal relationship between the takaful industry and improvements in the health sector and …

Research And Reflection On Transformation Of Resource-Based Cities In China—A Case Study Of Datong City, Shanxi Province, Zhijian Xiong, Hong Zhao, Xiuli Liu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Currently, there are 262 resource-based cities in China, of which mature and declining cities account for 79.39%. These cities have made significant contributions to the country’s economic and social development, but now they are facing severe challenges and difficulties, and their transformation problems urgently need to be solved. This work studies the mechanism of resource-based transformation and proposes strategies for the transformation of resource-based cities: (1) Transformation should be comprehensive, balanced, and sustainable; (2) Transformation should fully leverage the leading role of the market while also taking into account the fundamental role of the government; (3) Transformation should fully leverage …

Five Key Lessons For Five Core Groups Shaping Place-Based Policy, Kathleen Bolter, Timothy J. Bartik, Brad J. Hershbein, Michelle Miller-Adams, Alfonso Hernandez, Kyle Huisman, Bridget Timmeney

Reports

No abstract provided.

The Economic Contribution Of Cherry To The Household Economy In Pakistan. A Case Study From Lower-Hunza, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan, Rizwan Akhtar

CBER Conference

The cherry, one of the most recognized fruit crops, has become a significant source of income for rural farmers in Pakistan. However, limited research has been conducted on the economic impact of cherry farming. Consequently, there is a growing demand for a deeper understanding of cherries' economic contribution to the domestic economy. This study used socio-economic data from 315 cherry-producing households in Lower Hunza, GilgitBaltistan, to examine the role of cherries in community income. Data was collected through direct face-to-face interviews and semi-structured questionnaires with cherry producers, emphasizing group family discussions and interactions with local cherry traders. The findings indicate …

Research Report: Housing, Heather Akin, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Mary Emery, Katelyn Larson, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer, Rebecca J. Vogt

Nebraska Rural Poll

Executive summary

Most rural Nebraskans support a variety of housing programs and priorities. The support for these various programs was similar to that found in 2016. At least three-quarters of rural Nebraskans would somewhat support or strongly support the following in their community: developing programs to help seniors age in their current home; offering low-interest loans or grants for repair, rehabilitation or home improvement; providing affordable rental housing; establishing a local program that would purchase and remove dilapidated houses making lots available for building; developing senior housing; purchasing, rehabilitating and reselling vacant housing; and establishing a local program that would …