Regional and Community Economics
Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics Department
The Ohio State University
The field of regional and community economics deals with the location of economic activity, the economic vitality of places, business development and growth, the economic well-being of households and individuals, and local public finance and expenditure policy. From a policy standpoint, regional and community economics aims at improving the sustainability of local and regional economies; lowering the incidence of individual and family poverty; and measuring the spatially differentiated effects of government policies and global trends on urban, suburban, and rural areas. The Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics Department at The Ohio State University is engaged in research, teaching, and outreach activities in this area that focus on the following themes:
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Spatial patterns of economic activity |
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Factors affecting the vitality of places |
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The role of government in economic development |
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Entrepreneurship and small business finance |
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Economic well-being of households and individuals |
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Regional economic and fiscal impact modeling |
The Department seeks students at the Master's and Ph.D. levels who have an interest in doing both scholarly and applied work in these areas. For more information, contact Professors Dave Kraybill, Elena Irwin, or Wen Chern (Director or Graduate Studies).
Research
Current and recent research projects in the Department focused on regional and community issues include:
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Tax incentives for businesses as a rural development strategy. |
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Development of computable general equilibrium models for analysis of rural development programs and projects. |
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Devolution of welfare programs and economic development programs from the federal to local level. |
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Cost and revenues of converting farmland to residential housing. |
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Changes in residential settlement patterns in urban-rural fringe areas. |
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Linkages between economic decline of core urban areas and growth in suburban and exurban areas. |
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Influence of local public services and growth management policies on household and firm location decisions. |
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Public support of rural land preservation initiatives in the U.S. |
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Regional economic impacts of the Great Lakes Water Quality Initiative in Ohio. |
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Economic impacts of agricultural technology changes on land use in Uganda. |
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Urban economic impacts of water pricing policy in Jakarta, Indonesia. |
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Economic impacts of rice and water policy on water use in the Dominican Republic. |
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Spatial distribution of "taxes forgone" by participants in the Ohio Current Agricultural Use Value Assessment program. |
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Economic performance of state farmland protection programs. |
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The economics of development impact fees. |
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The economics of industrial waste treatment facilities in rural areas. |
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Access to health care services in rural Ohio. |
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Low-income housing finance for minorities in the U.S. Midwest. |
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Economic and fiscal impacts of recreational boating in Ohio (statewide) and on the Ottawa River. |
Outreach Programs
The Department's outreach in regional and community economics seeks to apply scholarly research to the needs of practitioners by providing value-added information, analysis, and education. The Department's comparative advantage in regional and community economics lies in the creation of specialized databases and teaching of innovative decision-making methods that use these databases to address local and state economic issues. These databases may include geographically referenced data organized in a geographic information system (GIS), regional input-output (I-O) accounts, social accounting matrices (SAMs), local government revenue and expenditure data, and other databases.
Outreach activities of the Department in Regional and Community Economics include:
The Ohio Business Retention and Expansion Program Economic Development with GIS Economic and Fiscal Analysis of Local and State Projects and Policies C.William Swank Chair in Rural-Urban Policy
Program for Cooperative Development The Community Economics Page
Courses
The graduate program in Regional and Community Economics offers opportunities for individuals interested in M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Faculty in Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics have collaborated with the Department of Geography to develop a four-course core sequence in regional economics (two courses in AED Econ and two courses in Geography):
Related courses in the Department include:
AED Econ 631 - Benefit-Cost Analysis AED Econ 807 - Project Evaluation for Collective Choice AED Econ 809 - Applied Welfare Economics and Policy Analysis AED Econ 816 - Financial Markets and Rural Development AED Econ 831 - Resource Economics
In addition, there are numerous courses relevant to Regional and Community Economics in the departments of Geography, Economics, City and Regional Planning, Human and Community Development, and the School of Public Policy.
Faculty
with primary interest in regional and community economics
with secondary interest in regional and community economics
Links
Primary Faculty
DAVID KRAYBILL
Associate Professor
340 Ag. Admin. Bldg.
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1067
614-292-8721
kraybill.1@osu.edu
Dr. Kraybill's primary research areas are regional economics, rural development, economic development policy, general equilibrium modeling of regions, and business growth analysis. His research has focused on the regional effects of trade and fiscal policies, the effectiveness of tax abatements in stimulating regional employment growth, the regional economic effects of federal environmental policies, the dynamics of regional growth, the determinants of business enterprise growth, and the role of social capital in regional growth. He teaches courses in Microeconomics I (AED Econ 711), Regional Economic Growth: Theory and Methods (AED Econ 840), and Computable General Equilibrium Analysis (AED Econ 902).
Recent publications
Seung, Chang and David S. Kraybill. 1999. "A Dynamic General Equilibrium Analysis of Tax Incentives in an Economy with Public Goods." Growth and Change: in press.
Gabe, Todd and David S. Kraybill. 1999. "Tax Incentive Requests and Offers in a State Economic Development Program." Review of Regional Studies: in press.
Kraybill, David S. and Jaemin Park. 1998. "A Computable General Equilibrium Analysis of the Great Lakes Water Quality Initiative." Proceedings of the 1998 National IMPLAN User's Conference, Washington, D.C.
Kraybill, David S. 1998. "The View from Economics: Discussion of Castle's Conceptual Framework." American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 80, No. 3, pp. 635-636.
Variyam, Jayachandran N. and David S. Kraybill. 1998. "Fringe Benefits Provision by Rural Small Businesses." American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 80, No. 2, pp. 360-368.
Current research projects
Decentralization, Capital Mobility, and Local Well-being: Rural Counties in a New Policy Era. Funded by National Research Initiative (NRI). Objectives are (1) to measure the fiscal and administrative capacity of county governments to implement welfare reform, (2) to identify and measure changes in local economic development policies, especially those designed to provide work for former welfare clients, and (3) to measure the effects of welfare reform and the new competitive economic development policies on rural residents.
An Asymmetric-information Analysis of Tax Incentives for Rural Economic Development. Funded by National Research Initiative. Objectives are to identify and measure factors contributing to the local use of tax abatements, to determine the effects of tax abatements on employment growth, and to assess the extent to which firms achieve the job targets promised at the time they apply for tax abatements.
Cost and revenues of converting farmland to residential housing. Objectives are to estimate statistical revenue and expenditure functions for county governments in Ohio and to to develop a computer-based simulation model for projecting the economic and fiscal effects of residential development and other major changes at the county level.
Regional economic impacts of the Great Lakes Water Quality Initiative (GLI) in Ohio. Objectives are to measure the intermediate and primary inputs used in achieving GLI standards and to measure the economy-wide effects of GLI implementation. The study will examine the regional economic effects of alternative policy instruments for meeting GLI standards.
Primary Faculty
ELENA IRWIN
Assistant Professor
316 Ag. Admin. Bldg.
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1067
614-292-6449
irwin.78@osu.edu
Dr. Irwin's area of specialization is regional and community economics. Her primary research interests focus on the consequences of economic growth and decline in local and regional economies, including changes in settlement patterns in suburban, exurban, and rural areas; the influence of government policies on residential and firm location decisions; and the relationship between urban sprawl and core urban decline. This research applies theory and modeling techniques from the fields of spatial and regional economics, including the application of spatial econometrics and geographic information systems (GIS). Courses taught include Principles of Food and Resource Economics (AED Econ 200).
Recent publications and papers
Irwin, Elena G. and Nancy E. Bockstael, "Endogenous Spatial Externalities: Empirical Evidence and Implications for Exurban Residential Land Use Patterns," forthcoming in Advances in Spatial Econometrics, Luc Anselin and Raymond Florax, editors, 1999.
Bockstael, Nancy E. and Elena G. Irwin, "Economics and the Land Use-Environment Link," forthcoming in The International Yearbook of Environmental and Resource Economics 1999/2000: Edward Elgar Publishing, H. Folmer and T. Tietenberg, editors, 2000.
Irwin, Elena G. and Nancy E. Bockstael, "Interacting Agents, Spatial Externalities, and the Endogenous Evolution of Land Use Pattern," Working Paper, 1999.
Current research projects
Changes in Residential Settlement
Pattern in U.S. Exurban Areas. This research seeks to explain the
"sprawl" pattern of development in urban-rural fringe areas in the U.S.
The objectives are to (1) empirical estimate the influence of neighboring land uses on the
likelihood of an undeveloped parcel's conversion relative to other factors, e.g.
accessibility to urban centers, public services, and minimum lot size zoning and (2)
simulate predicted changes in land use pattern using the estimated parameter values.
Linkages between Outer Suburban Growth and Inner Urban Decline.
The objectives are to (1) investigate the linkages between urban decline and
suburban/exurban growth in Ohio and the U.S. by developing a spatially explicit model of
the out-migration rate of households as a function of own characteristics, locational
attributes and government policy variables and (2) predict changes in the migration flows
and settlement patterns under alternative policy scenarios.
Faculty with Related Interests
CLAUDIO GONZALES
Professor
249C Ag. Admin. Bldg.
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1067
(614) 292-6376
Gonzales.4@osu.edu
Dr. Gonzalez-Vega's research deals with the financial markets of several countries, with recent interests including the development of financial technologies for marginal clientele, the comparison of formal and informal financial transactions, and the role of the state in financial market development.
DOUGLAS GRAHAM
Professor
252B Ag. Admin. Bldg.
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1067
(614) 292-6378
Graham.2@osu.edu
Dr. Graham's primary research involves the interaction between financial markets and development in developing countries, emphasizing rural financial agents servicing rural clientele in these societies.
DAVID HAHN
Professor
238 Ag. Admin. Bldg.
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1067
(614) 292-2642
Hahn.1@osu.edu
Dr. Hahn's primary research interests are in agricultural cooperatives, including their role as an alternative business structure in the production, processing, and distribution of food and fiber products.
FRED
HITZHUSEN
Professor
226 Ag. Admin. Bldg.
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1067
(614) 292-6244
Hitzhusen.1@osu.edu
Dr. Hitzhusen's current research interests include: The economics of sustainable
agriculture, forest and mining systems with emphasis on off-site soil sediment and water
quality costs; valuing river systems; development and application of benefit-transfer
models; and ecological economic assessment of wetlands and other natural systems. He also
teaches a AEDE 807, Economic Analysis for Collective Choice, a AEDE 631, Benefit Cost
Analysis, and AEDE/IS 597.01, Global Population, Food and Environment. Dr. Hitzhusen has
also co-taught a graduate course on Ecological Economics (NR 800).
JERRY
LADMAN
Professor
229 Ag. Admin. Bldg.
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1067
(614) 688-4138
Ladman.1@osu.edu
Dr. Ladman's primary research interests involve rural financial markets in less-developed countries as well as economic and agricultural development in Latin American countries.
LAWRENCE W. LIBBY
Professor and Swank Chair in Rural-Urban Policy
336 Ag Admin
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1067
(614) 688-4907
Libby.7@osu.edu
Dr. Libby's research focuses on the economic, social and political consequences of alternative policy mechanisms designed to allocate rights and responsibilities in use od natural resources. Policy options constitute various sets of market rules that influence terms of trade among competitors for the services of natural resources. Consequences of those options include indicators of departure from market efficiency as defined by current market rules, distributional consequences of the changes (whose interests are expanded and whose constrained), and resulting impacts on the politics of resource use as some costs or benefits of policy change are sufficient to gain entry on the policy agenda. Subject matter applications include farmland retention policy, growth management, various agro-environmental issues, protection of unique eco-systems, management of public lands.
ALAN RANDALL
Professor and Department Chair
103 Ag. Admin. Bldg.
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1067
(614) 292-6423
arandall+@osu.edu
Dr. Randall's primary research areas are natural resource economics, project evaluation, and benefit cost analysis, including theory and methods of estimating environmental benefits and assessing environmental damages. Teaching responsibilities include Research Methods; organizes and leads the advanced graduate workshop in resource economics each year. In addition to the formal projects listed below, Dr. Randall publishes regularly on the economic and ethical foundations of policy to promote sustainability and biodiversity.
BRENT SOHNGEN
Assistant Professor
322 Ag. Admin. Bldg.
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1067
(614) 688-4640
sohngen.1@osu.edu
Dr. Sohngen's primary research interests lie in modeling land-use and land-cover change, economics of nonpoint source pollution, and valuing environmental and ecological change. Recent research efforts include estimating the market impact of climate change in US and global timber markets, estimating the cost of carbon sequestration in forests, valuing southeastern US forests and Lake Erie beaches and beach amenities, and estimating the costs of agricultural pollution control.
Currently, Dr. Sohngen is developing an extension and outreach program in environmental and natural resource economics. This program focuses on providing sound economic research results to state and local policymakers. Some of the issues addressed involved sedimentation in the Maumee river basin, the value of Lake Erie beaches, and non point source pollution. Teaching responsibilities include an undergraduate/graduate course in environmental and natural resource economics, including an option to take this as a distance learning course over the internet.
DOUGLAS
SOUTHGATE
Professor
329 Agricultural Administration Building
Columbus, OH 43210
292-2432
southgate.1@osu.edu
A natural resource economist, Dr. Southgate specializes in the study of environmental problems in developing countries. In addition to the causes of tropical deforestation and the benefits and costs of improved watershed management, his research addresses the influence of public policy on natural resource development.
THOMAS
SPORLEDER
Professor
218 Ag. Admin. Bldg.
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1067
(614) 292-0315
Sporleder.1@osu.edu
Dr. Sporleder's primary research is targeted toward commodity marketing, agricultural finance, and agricultural cooperatives. He has a special interest in the economics of biotechnology, especially how it may influence the food system.
LUTHER TWEETEN
Professor
228 Ag. Admin. Bldg.
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1067
(614) 292-6335
Tweeten.1@osu.edu
Dr. Tweeten's primary research interests include agricultural policy, international trade, macroeconomic policy, and international and human resource development.