Regional Economics Commons^™

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: November 25, 2020, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The LEI-N rose during October 2020, by 1.83%. The rising indicator confirms that the Nebraska economy should continue to expand over the next 6 months. Five of the six components of the leading indicator improved during October. Manufacturing hours-worked rebounded in October after declining over the previous 3 months. Business expectations also were positive, with respondents to the October Survey of Nebraska Business reporting plans to increase employment over the next 6 months. The value of the U.S. dollar also declined, which will improve competitive conditions for Nebraska businesses that export. Building permits for single-family homes and airline passenger enplanements …

Does Bitcoin Use Affect Crime Rates?, Kevin Keane

The Corinthian

Bitcoin is the most widely used cryptocurrency in the world because of its decentralized network that completes user-to-user transactions, eliminating the need for intermediaries. During 2017, the volume of Bitcoin transactions totaled $94.3 trillion. Bitcoin transactions are recorded in a public database called the blockchain. Although the blockchain can keep track of how many transactions there are, it can’t identify the people involved in transactions. The lack of identity increases the anonymity of Bitcoin transactions, making it less detectable when used for crime. Using the Uniform Crime Reporting’s state-level crime rate data and blockchain’s Bitcoin transaction information, I estimate the …

Rural Appalachia Battling The Intersection Of Two Crises: Covid-19 And Substance Use Disorders, Margaret Miller, Rebekah Rollston, Kate E. Beatty, Michael Meit

Journal of Appalachian Health

During the COVID-19 pandemic, rural Appalachia is at great risk of unforeseen side effects including increased mortality from substance use disorders (SUDs). People living with SUDs are at increased risk for both exposure to and poor outcomes from COVID infection. The economic impacts of COVID-19 must also be considered. As rural Appalachia combats the substance use crisis amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the geographic economic, health and social inequities within our region must be considered. As a national recovery is sought, we should reimagine federal policies that center the economic and public health of rural Appalachia addressing the two crises.

Review Of: From The Front Lines Of The Appalachian Addiction Crisis Healthcare Providers Discuss Opioids, Meth And Recovery, Carl G. Leukefeld

Journal of Appalachian Health

The Journal of Appalachian Health is dedicated to reviewing various types of media related to contemporary concepts that affect the health of Appalachia. As the opioid-related overdose deaths ravish Appalachia, now more than ever, we each must devote energy to understanding addiction and pathways to recovery. Dr. Carl Leukefeld reviews the book From the Front Lines of the Appalachian Addiction Crisis: Healthcare Providers Discuss Opioids, Meth and Recovery.

In Their Own Words: How Opioids Have Impacted The Lives Of “Everyday” People Living In Appalachia, Patricia Nola Eugene Roberson, Gina Cortez, Laura H. Trull, Katherine Allison Lenger

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: The opioid epidemic is ravaging people, families, and communities in Appalachia. However, limited research has examined how “everyday” people (e.g., not chronic pain patients, not medical professionals) living in these communities how opioids have impacted their lives.

Objective: Identify the perception of the opioid epidemic on individuals, families, and communities from people living in region most impacted regions.

Methods: Patients were recruited at Remote Area Medical clinics throughout Central and Southern Appalachia to complete interviews online (N = 169) or over the phone (N = 26), including one open-ended question about how opioids have impacted their lives.

Results: Using …

Improving Access To Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder In High-Need Areas: The Role Of Hrsa Health Centers, Michael Topmiller, Jennifer Rankin, Jessica L. Mccann, Jene Grandmont, David Grolling, Mark Carrozza, Hank Hoang, Josh Bolton, Alek Sripipatana

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Despite the opioid epidemic adversely affecting areas across the U.S. for more than two decades and increasing evidence that medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is effective for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD), access to treatment is still limited. The limited access to treatment holds true in the Appalachia region despite being disproportionately affected by the crisis, particularly in rural, central Appalachia.

Purpose: This research identifies opportunities for health centers located in high-need areas based on drug poisoning mortality to better meet MAT care gaps. We also provide an in-depth look at health center MAT capacity relative to need …

Rural Community Toolbox To Help Battle Opioid Epidemic, Liz Carey

Journal of Appalachian Health

An online data repository and toolbox created by the Office of National Drug Control Policy is designed to provide communities with knowledge and resources to fight the opioid epidemic according to their unique needs.

Writing Tips For Economics Research Papers, Plamen Nikolov

Economics Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Labor Market, Urban Poverty And Propoor Employment Policies, Heba Nassar, Heba El-Laithy

Faculty Journal Articles

A complicated relationship exists between labor market mechanisms and poverty. Poverty might arise from labor market mechanisms, as much as from other more obvious factors such as overall living standards, low levels of production and productivity as well as socioeconomic conditions that lead to inequalities in the labor market. This paper tries to study the relationship between urban poverty and the labor market by constructing a poverty index using the data of the Survey" Socioeconomic conditions of Work in Greater Cairo". Factor analysis was used to combine seventeen socio-economic variables in one poverty index. The index was used to study …

Producer Services: An Engine For High-Wage Job Growth, Spencer Cook, Eric Thompson

Business in Nebraska

Producer services providers are firms that sell services primarily to the business community rather than to individuals and households. Many producer services businesses are classified in the professional, scientific, and technical service (PSTS) industry. Accounting firms, consultants, and computer design services are prominent examples of PSTS businesses that are worth studying for three reasons:

1. SUPPORT OF OTHER INDUSTRIES: PSTS industries supply the broader business community, making them a critical segment of the economy.

2. RAPID HIGH WAGE JOB GROWTH: Many PSTS industries are rapidly growing and pay high wages. The producer services sector, in fact, is the principal source …

Paso Del Norte Economic Indicator Review, November, Hunt Institute For Global Competitiveness

Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Borderplex Business Barometer, Volume 4, Number 11, Thomas M. Fullerton Jr., Steven L. Fullerton, Ana Gutierrez Zubiate, Ignacio Santana

Border Region Modeling Project

No abstract provided.

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: October 28, 2020, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The LEI-N rose slightly during September 2020, by 0.09%. While the pace of improvement has slowed, September marks the fifth consecutive increase in the leading indicator after sharp declines in March and April. The September result indicates that the Nebraska economy will grow at a modest pace over the next 6 months. Four of the components of the leading indicator improved during September. Airline passenger enplanements grew slowly after seasonal adjustment, but there was a drop in initial claims for unemployment insurance during the month. The value of the U.S. dollar also declined, which will improve competitive conditions for businesses …

Extending The Macroeconomic Impacts Forecasting Capabilities Of The National Energy Modeling System, Christa D. Court, Randall W. Jackson, Justin Adder, Gavin Pickenpaugh, Charles Zelek, Amanda J. Harker Steele

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

To comprehensively model the macroeconomic impacts that result from changes in long-term energy-economy forecasts, the United States Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) partnered with West Virginia University’s (WVU) Regional Research Institute to develop the NETL/WVU econometric input-output (ECIO) model. The NETL/WVU ECIO model is an impacts forecasting model that functions as an extension of the U.S. energy-economic models available from the United States (U.S.) Energy Information Administration’s National Energy Modeling System (NEMS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Market Allocation (MARKAL) model. The ECIO model integrates a macroeconomic econometric forecasting model and an input-output accounting framework along …

Paso Del Norte Economic Indicator Review, October, Hunt Institute For Global Competitiveness

Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Mexico Consensus Economic Forecast, Volume 23, Number 4, Thomas M. Fullerton Jr., Steven L. Fullerton, Ana Gutierrez Zubiate

Border Region Modeling Project

No abstract provided.

Las Cruces Housing Price Fluctuations: 1971-2017, Steven L. Fullerton, James H. Holcomb, Thomas M. Fullerton Jr.

Border Region Modeling Project

This study analyzes the median price for existing single-family housing units in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The proposed theoretical model accounts for the interplay between supply and demand sides of a metropolitan housing market. Explanatory variables used in the analysis are real per capita income, the housing stock, real mortgage rates, real apartment rents, and the median real price of single-family units in the United States. Annual frequency data are collected for a 1971-2017 sample period. Parameter estimation is completed using two stage generalized least squares. Empirical results confirm several, but not all, of the hypotheses associated with the underlying …

Borderplex Business Barometer, Volume 4, Number 10, Thomas M. Fullerton Jr., Steven L. Fullerton, Ana Gutierrez Zubiate, Ignacio Santana

Border Region Modeling Project

No abstract provided.

Consistent Regional Commodity-By-Industry Input-Output Accounts, Randall Jackson, Péter Járosi

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

A long-standing regional science problem domain focuses on the identification of structural economic change. One of several approaches relies on the use of historical final demand series and a comparison of observed industry output to an estimate of what output would have been were economic structure static. However, these methods were first developed before the introduction of today’s commonly used commodity-by-industry (CxI)input-output (IO) accounting frameworks, and before the application of these methods to regional economies. Correctly formulating the supporting accounting structures for these analyses is essential, but can be challenging even for experienced an- alysts. Related textbook and journal articles …

Enhancing Our Understanding Of A Regional Economy: The Complementarity Of Cge And Eio Models, Andrew Crawley, Geoffrey J.D. Hewings

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

Economic impact models are powerful tools for the assessment of policy changes in regional economies. Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) models have grown in popularity, becoming the dominant choice of practitioners and academics in this field. This popularity has been at the expense of an older class of model, the Econometric Input Output (EIO). The present paper demonstrates how both models, using the same input data, may yield different outcomes. However, the paper suggests that EIO has been underutilized even though it provides a strong complementary tool accompany that enhance analyses using a CGE approach. This paper urges regional economists to …