Regional Economics Commons^™

Mapping Socioeconomic Indicators By Race And County In Arkansas, Mervin Jebaraj, David Sorto

Urban League of the State of Arkansas

The Urban League of the State of Arkansas seeks to lead efforts in advancing and obtaining equal opportunities for all citizens with a particular focus in the areas of health, education, jobs, and housing. In keeping with this mission, the Urban League of Arkansas partnered with the Center for Business and Economic Research in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas to produce a report that provides data to identify key areas of need in the African American and Latinx communities in Arkansas and develop programs and policies to address them.

In this report, the …

The Missouri-Wide Effects Of City Earnings Taxes, Howard J. Wall

Center for Applied Economics

The cities of St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, impose a 1 percent tax on residents’ earnings and non-residents’ earnings within the cities. This paper provides estimates of the effects of these taxes on the parts of Missouri outside the two metro areas. I estimate that over the decade from 2000 to 2010 the earnings taxes in Kansas City and St. Louis reduced household employment in the taxing cities by about 14,500, and by about 34,700 in the Missouri portions of their surrounding metro areas. When the link between the St. Louis metro area and outstate Missouri is considered, the …

China’S One Belt One Road Initiative—A Debt Trap?, Qi Liu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Infrastructure has been a bottleneck for industrialization of developing countries. After decades of economic growth led by investment in infrastructure, China released its first global strategy in 2013, One Belt One Road (BRI), to improve infrastructure in less developed countries along the belt and road. Although economic development has been witnessed in some BRI members, large amount of investments from China raised concern over debt crisis from the Western world and host countries. Countries receiving loans from China are struggling to effectively manage the BRI projects. Some are renegotiating the investments with China and some BRI members even canceled them. …

2020 State Of The Commonwealth Report, Vinod Agarwal, Barbara Blake, Steve Daniel, Ashley Desilva, Addie Gregory, Elizabeth Janik, Nikki Johnson, James V. Koch, Tim Komarek, Feng Lian, Sharon Lomax, Janet Molinaro, Brendan O'Hallarn, Bailey Park, Terry Parker, Jay Walker, Hannah White

State of the Commonwealth Reports

This is Old Dominion University’s sixth 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, John R. Broderick, 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.

Although our devotion to this work remains steadfast, our enthusiasm, admittedly, has been dampened by the COVID-19 pandemic and the toll it has taken on the Commonwealth and nation. Our work …

Perceptions Of Production And Animal Agriculture In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2020 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer, Steven A. Schulz, Jason L. Weigle

Nebraska Rural Poll

Most rural Nebraskans have farming or ranching history in their family. In fact, one-half of rural Nebraskans are one generation or less removed from the farm or ranch. Rural Nebraskans’ connection to agriculture has not changed much in the last ten years.

Most rural Nebraskans view their economic well-being as being dependent on both production agriculture in general and animal agriculture in particular. Furthermore, most rural Nebraskans say the economic well-being of their community or county is very much dependent on the economic success of both production agriculture and animal agriculture.

Most rural Nebraskans are supportive of new livestock development …

Well-Being In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 25 Years Of Trends, 2020 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer, Steven A. Schulz, Jason L. Weigle

Nebraska Rural Poll

By many different measures, rural Nebraskans are positive about their community. Many rural Nebraskans rate their community favorably on its social dimensions. Most rural Nebraskans say it would be difficult to leave their community and have a positive attachment to their community. Most rural Nebraskans disagree that their community is powerless to control its future.

Rural Nebraskans’ views about the change in their community have generally been positive. The proportion believing their community has changed for the better during the past year has usually been greater than the proportion believing it has changed for the worse, especially during the past …

Front Matter- 2020 State Of The Commonwealth Report, 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 2020 State of the Commonwealth Report authored by the Center for Economic Analysis and Policy at Old Dominion University.

Solar Bait: How U.S. States Attract Solar Investments From Large Corporations, Jed J. Cohen, Levan Elbakidze, Randall Jackson

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

Past solar adoption literature has focused primarily on households without significant attention to the potential of commercial properties as sites for solar generation. We examine firms’ decisions to install solar panels on their properties using state and firm level data from the U.S. We are interested in the effects of state level characteristics, including policies and regulations, on firm decisions regarding solar investments. We find that state characteristics that influence the return-on-investment from solar installations, most notably solar intensity, are important for commercial adoption decisions. Further, the results suggest that certain state level policies, including solar carve-outs in renewable portfolio …

Front Matter: The State Of The Region: Hampton Roads 2020, 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 2020 The State of the Region report authored by the Center for Economic Analysis and Policy at Old Dominion University

Part 1: A Shock To The System: Covid-19 And Hampton Roads, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

COVID-19 changed how we view the Hampton Roads economy. In January 2020, the region was projected to grow faster than the nation, there were more unfilled jobs than unemployed workers and boosts in defense spending brightened our economic future. By April, however, businesses were closing, jobs were being lost and residents were under a stay-at-home order. We assess the economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic and examine prospects for the coming year.

Part 3: Anxiety And Stress In The Workplace, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Workplace stress and anxiety cost the Hampton Roads economy more than $1 billion in lost productivity and health care expenditures in 2019. We explore the economic impact of workplace anxiety, stress and depression. We highlight how COVID-19 has increased anxiety and taken a toll on African American and Hispanic households. We ask how businesses can help alleviate anxiety and stress in a time of economic uncertainty.

Part 2: The Way We Were: 2010-2019, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing measures, the challenges of the last decade seem almost trivial in comparison. Yet, those challenges hold valuable lessons for our current economic environment and how to build a better economy in this decade. We take a fresh look at the previous decennial – our economic successes and areas where we could improve – and provide insight into how these experiences can help us recover in the coming years.

Part 4: Food Insecurity In Hampton Roads, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

One in 10 residents of Hampton Roads was unsure where their next meal was coming from in 2018. Among children, food insecurity rates were even higher in the region. Food insecurity reduces workplace productivity and learning, and negatively impacts health. We discuss how public programs and regional foodbanks are working to address these problems in Hampton Roads.

Part 5: The Kids Are Not All Right: Youth Mental Health In Hampton Roads, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

More and more young people, particularly teenagers, report that they are anxious or depressed – a trend that has only escalated since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. This chapter looks at the state of youth mental health and the accessibility of care in Hampton Roads. The $224 million Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters mental health hospital now under construction will address an urgent need and place the region at the forefront of behavioral and mental health care for children.

Part 6: Jefferson Lab Ponders Its Future, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

While many of Hampton Roads’ K-12 students are familiar with this federal laboratory’s support for STEM education in the region, many residents would be surprised to know the region is home to a laboratory that delves into questions about the very nature of the universe. Research conducted at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News is not only being used to battle cancer but also to produce supercooled materials which, one day, may lead to breakthroughs in power generation and transmission and computing. We shed light on its impact and the potential for Jefferson Lab to increase its …

Geography, Trade, And Internal Migration In China, Lin Ma, Yang Tang

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper quantitatively studies the local welfare impacts of inter-city migration in China. We structurally estimate a trade model with endogenous migration decisions using data from 279 prefecture-level cities. The results suggest that inflows of migrant workers increase welfare in the destination cities between 2000 and 2005 despite their negative impacts on congestion and nominal wage. The positive local impacts of migration depend crucially on the endogenous firm entry. The positive impacts in the destination cities also spill over to the neighboring cities through inter-city trade, often leading to higher welfare gains in the nearby cities than the destination cities …

State Exit Exams And Graduation Rates: A Hierarchical Slx Modelling Approach, Joshua Hall, Donald Lacombe, Shree B. Pokharel

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

The literature on high school exit exams has found both positive and negative effects of these high stake exams on high school graduation rates. To this point the literature has not taken into account the embedded nature of school districts within state education systems. We employ a Bayesian Hierarchical SLX model to account for the hierachical nature of education data in the United States. Our approach also allows us to account for spatial spillovers that influence graduation rates across districts and states. Using school district and state-level data for 45 states and 8194 school districts in the United States in …

Homeownership Rate And Other House Price Determinants Impacts On New House Prices In Colombia, Hector A. Botello-Peñaloza

Journal for the Advancement of Developing Economies

Homeownership remains a preferred form of tenancy in different parts of the world. The attractions of security, stability, investment potential and a sense of pride outweigh the fear of price instability. For this reason, the Colombian government has encouraged in recent years, various demand policies that have sought to promote the increase in the number of homeowners. However, these ideas could have a severe impact on prices in the real estate market. Therefore, this study seeks to examine the effect of homeownership rate on new house prices in an emerging country with low real estate ownership, credit restrictions and average …

Corruption, Government Effectiveness And Human Development In Sub-Saharan Africa, Sakiru O. Akinbode, Jayeola Olabisi, Remilekun R. Adegbite, Timothy A. Aderemi, Abimbola M. Alawode

Journal for the Advancement of Developing Economies

Aside economic factors causing low human development which have been extensively studied in literature, the implications of high level of corruption and weak governance prevalent in sub- Saharan African (SSA) countries have not been explored. The study assessed the effects of corruption, government effectiveness and their joint effect on human development in SSA. Data collected on thirty-seven (37) countries within the period of 2005 to 2018 were analyzed using system Generalized Method of Moment which was most suitable for the dataset. Results indicated that lagged human development index (P<0.01), government effectiveness (P<0.05), economic growth rate (P<0.1) and government health spending (P<0.1) had significant positive effect on human development while corruption and its interaction with government effectiveness did not. The results of Arrelano-Bond test of first order autocorrelation and second order autocorrelation of error term as well as the Sargan test and Hansen J test for validity of instrumental variables confirmed the validity of the model. The robustness of the estimation was established as the coefficient of the lagged dependent variable fell between the values in the fixed effect and pooled ordinary least square regression. The study recommended retraining and reorientation of government employees towards the mindset of effective service delivery and strong political will to achieve it, diversification of SSA economies alongside other growth stimulating policies such as reduced lending interest rate on loans meant for the real sector, improvement in the ease of doing business, improved funding of the health sector and proper monitoring of activities in the public service by concerned agencies to curb corruption where it is present.

The Desire For Luxury In Emerging Markets: An Interactional Perspective On Consumer Motivations In Tunisia, Pranjal Gupta,, Mouna Zaghdoudi

Journal for the Advancement of Developing Economies

The motivations underlying the desire for luxury products and services have long been the subject of academic inquiry. An understanding of these motivations is useful for the luxury market industry to help managers formulate better marketing strategies. Further, such knowledge would also be useful to public policy makers to help them mitigate societal problems that may occur as a result of such consumption. Of particular interest is the growth of the luxury market in emerging economies. This study spotlights the luxury market in Tunisia. Previous work has demonstrated that age has a significant impact both on willingness to buy luxury …