Readings

Reference Texts

Students specializing in regional economics may want to buy one or more of the following books. Those marked with an (*) are particularly recommended.

(*) Bendavid-Val, Avrom. Regional and Local Economic Analysis for Practitioners. New York, NY: Praeger, 1991. ISBN: 9780275937515.

Hirschman, Albert. The Strategy of Economic Development. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1958. ISBN: 9780300001174.

(*) Isard, Walter, Iwan Asiz, Matthew Drennan, Ronald Miller, Sidney Saltzman, and Eric Thorbecke. Methods of Interregional and Regional Analysis. Brookfield, VT: Ashgate, 1997. ISBN: 9781859724101.

(*) Malizia, Emil, and Edward Feser. Understanding Local Economic Development. New Brunswick, NJ: Center for Urban Policy Research, 1999. ISBN: 9780882851631.

Markusen, Ann. Reining in the Competition for Capital. Kalamazoo, MI: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, 2007. ISBN: 9780880992954.

Miller, Ronald, and Peter Blair. Input-Output Analysis: Foundations and Extensions. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2009. ISBN: 9780521739023.

Richardson, Harry. Regional Economics. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1979. ISBN: 9780252007484.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS Handbook of Methods. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Readings by Session

This course provides an extensive survey of the field of regional economic theories, accounts, and techniques. Readings covered in complementary classes are excluded from the list of readings.

Suggested Readings (PDF)

The suggested readings are only for reference; they are not required during the semester. Many of the suggested readings are intended only for advanced students.

SES # TOPICS REQUIRED READINGS
1 Introduction

Dawkins, Casey. “Regional Development Theory: Conceptual Foundations, Classic Works, and Recent Developments.” Journal of Planning Literature 18, no. 2 (2003): 131-153. Note that pages 153-172 are an annotated bibliography and are not required reading.

Malizia, Emil, and Edward Feser. Understanding Local Economic Development. New Brunswick, NJ: Center for Urban Policy Research, 1999, pp. 1-48. ISBN: 9780882851631.

2 Historical view of regional economics  
Regional economic theories
3 Neoclassical regional growth and location theories, part 1

DiPasquale, Denise, and William Wheaton. Urban Economics and Real Estate Markets. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995, pp. 149-181. ISBN: 9780132252447.

Henderson, J. Vernon, Zmarak Shalizi, and Anthony Venables. “Geography and Development.” Journal of Economic Geography 1, no. 1 (2001): 81-105.

Heilbrun, James. Urban Economics and Public Policy. 2nd ed. New York, NY: St. Martin’s, 1981, pp. 87-116. ISBN: 9780312834418.

4 Neoclassical regional growth and location theories, part 2

DeBresson, Chris, and Fernand Amesse. “Networks of Innovators: A Review and Introduction to the Issue.” Research Policy 20, no. 5 (1991): 363-379.

Duranton, Gilles, and Diego Puga. “Diversity and Specialization in Cities: Why, Where and When Does It Matter?” In Industrial Location Economics. Edited by Philip McCann. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar, 2004, pp. 151-186. ISBN: 9781843768470.

Buy at MIT Press Krugman, Paul. Development, Geography, and Economic Theory. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1997, pp. 31-59. ISBN: 9780262611350.

Norton, R. D., and J. Rees. “The Product Cycle and the Spatial Decentralization of American Manufacturing.” Regional Studies 13, no. 2 (1979): 141-151.

Barr, John. “The Location of Economic Activity: Central Place Theory and the Wider Urban System.” In Industrial Location Economics. Edited by Philip McCann. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar, 2004, pp. 32-82. ISBN: 9781843768470.

5 Alternative regional growth and location theories

Johansson, Börje. “Economic Networks and Self-Organization.” In Regions Reconsidered: Economic Networks, Innovation, and Local Development in Industrialized Countries. Edited by Edward Bergman, Gunther Maier, and Frank Tödtling. New York, NY: Mansell, 1991, pp. 17-34. ISBN: 9780720121087.

Markusen, Ann. “National Contexts and the Emergence of Second-Tier Cities.” In Second-Tier Cities: Rapid Growth Beyond the Metropolis. Edited by Ann R. Markusen, Yong-Sook Lee, and Sean DiGiovanna. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 1999, pp. 65-94. ISBN: 9780816633746.

Polenske, Karen. “Taking Advantage of a Region’s Competitive Assets: An Asset-Based Regional Economic-Development Strategy.” In Entrepreneurship, Firm Growth, and Regional Development in the New Economic Geography. Trollhätten, Sweden: Uddevalla Symposium 2000, June 15-17, pp. 527-544.

6 Accounting for the economic base of a region

Bendavid-Val, Avrom. Regional and Local Economic Analysis for Practitioners. 4th ed. New York, NY: Praeger, 1991, pp. 67-85. ISBN: 9780275937515.

Heilbrun, James. Urban Economics and Public Policy. 3rd ed. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 1987, pp. 153-169. ISBN: 9780312834425.

Smirnov, Oleg, and Alena Smirnova. “An Assessment of the Economic Base of Distressed and Near-Distressed Counties in Appalachia: A Report to the Appalachian Regional Commission, 2000.”

7 Influence of globalization on factor mobility

Harris, John, and Michael Todaro. “Migration, Unemployment, and Development: A Two-Sector Analysis.” American Economic Review 60, no. 1 (1970): 126-142.

Clark, Gordon. Interregional Migration, National Policy, and Social Justice. Totowa, NJ: Rowman & Littlefield, 1983, pp. 77-102. ISBN: 9780865981249.

Florida, Richard. “The World is Spiky.” The Atlantic Monthly, October 2005, 48-51. (PDF - 1.2MB)

Florida, Richard, and Jim Goodnight. “Managing for Creativity.” Harvard Business Review, July-August 2005.

Markusen, Ann, and Katherine Nesse. “Institutional and Political Determinants of Incentive Competition.” In Reining in the Competition for Capital. Edited by Ann R. Markusen. Kalamazoo, MI: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, 2007, pp. 1-53. ISBN: 9780880992954.

Polenske, Karen, and Geoffrey Hewings. “Trade and Spatial Economic Interdependence.” Papers in Regional Science: Journal of the Regional Science Association International 83, no. 1 (2004): 269-289.

8 Deindustrialization and restructuring

Bluestone, Barry, and Bennett Harrison. The Deindustrialization of America. New York, NY: Basic Books, 1982, pp. 25-48. ISBN: 9780465015900.

Castells, Manuel. The Rise of the Network Society. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2009, chapter 2, pp. 66-67 and 92-147. ISBN: 9781405196864.

Giarratani, Frank, Gene Gruver, and Randall Jackson. “Plant Location and the Advent of Slab Casting by U.S. Steel Minimills: An Observation-based Analysis.” Economic Geography 82, no. 4 (2006): 401-419.

9 Agglomeration and dispersal economies, part 1 (supply chains and cross-national sourcing arrangements)

Ellram, Lisa. “Supply-Chain Management: The Industrial Organization Perspective.” International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management 21, no. 1 (1991): 13-22.

Porter, Michael. “Regions and the New Economics of Competition.” In Global City-Regions: Trends, Theory, Policy. Edited by Allen J. Scott. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2001, pp. 139-157. ISBN: 9780198297994.

Cainelli, Giulio. “Industrial Districts: Theoretical and Empirical Insights.” In Handbook of Research on Cluster Theory. Edited by Charlie Karlsson and Edward Elgar. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar, 2008, pp. 189-202. ISBN: 9781845425166.

10 Agglomeration and dispersal economies, part 2 (globalization: development opportunity or hindrance)

Baldwin, Richard, and Philippe Martin. “Agglomeration and Regional Growth.” In Handbook of Urban and Regional Economics, Volume 4: Cities and Geography. Edited by J. V. Henderson and J. F. Thisse. Amsterdam: North-Holland, 2004, pp. 1-39. ISBN: 9780444509673.

Gertler, Meric. “‘Being There’: Proximity, Organization, and Culture in the Development and Adoption of Advanced Manufacturing Technologies.” Economic Geography 71, no. 1 (1995): 1-26.

Markusen, Ann. “Sticky Places in Slippery Space: A Typology of Industrial Districts.” Economic Geography 72, no. 3 (1996): 293-313.

Johansson, Börje, and Lars Westin. “Affinities and Frictions of Trade Networks.” The Annals of Regional Science 28, no. 3 (1994): 243-261.

11 Spatial dispersal of innovation, part 1 (theories of information technology and communication)

Maggioni, Mario, Mario Nosvelli, and Trodora Erika Uberti. “Space versus Networks in the Geography of Innovation: A European Analysis.” Papers in Regional Science 86, no. 3 (2007): 471-493.

Dunning, John. “Regions, Globalization, and the Knowledge Economy: The Issues Stated.” In Regions, Globalization, and the Knowledge-Based Economy. Edited by John H. Dunning. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2002, pp. 7-41. ISBN: 9780199250011.

Lundvall, Bengt-Åke, Esben Sloth Andersen, Bent Dalum, and Björn Johnson. “National Systems of Production, Innovation, and Competence Building.” Chapter 10 in The Economic Geography of Innovation. Edited by Karen Polenske. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2007. ISBN: 9780521689533.

12 Spatial dispersal of innovation, part 2 (measurement issues)

Karlsson, Charlie, and Rolf Nilsson. “Agglomeration, Economics of Scale, and Dynamic Specialization in a Central Place System.” In Regional Policies and Comparative Advantage. Edited by Borje Johansson, Charlie Karlsson, and Roger R. Stough. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar, 2002, pp. 25-48. ISBN: 9781840648348.

Li, Yu, and Karen Polenske. “Measuring Dispersal Economies.” In Entrepreneurship, Spatial Industrial Clusters and Inter-Firm Networks. Trollhätten, Sweden: Universities of Trollhätten/Uddevalla, 2004, pp. 615-633.

13 Spatial dispersal of innovation, part 3 (measurement issues, cont.)

Ratanawaraha, Apiwat, and Karen Polenske. “Measuring Geographies of Innovation: A Literature Review.” Chapter 3 in The Economic Geography of Innovation. Edited by Karen Polenske. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2007. ISBN: 9780521865289.

Reamer, Andrew, Larry Icerman, and Jan Youtie. “Chapter 3: Geographic Patterns and Impacts of Innovation.” In Technology Transfer and Commercialization: Their Role in Economic Development. Washington, DC: U.S. Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 2003, pp. 51-110. 

Regional, interregional, and multiregional input-output accounts
14 Overview of regional economic accounting structures

Leven, Charles. “Regional and Interregional Accounts in Perspective.” Papers in Regional Science 13 (1964): 127-144.

Polenske, Karen, and Stephen Fournier. “INTRO-IO: Introduction to Input-Output Accounting and Modeling.” In Spreadsheet Models for Urban and Regional Analysis. Edited by Richard Klosterman and Richard Brail. New Brunswick, NJ: Center for Urban Policy Research, 1993, pp. 205-228. ISBN: 9780882851426.

Miller, Ronald. “Regional and Interregional Input-Output Analysis.” In Methods of Interregional and Regional Analysis. Edited by Walter Isard, Iwan Aziz, Matthew Drennan, Ronald Miller, Sidney Saltzman, and Erik Thorbecke. Brookfield, VT: Ashgate, 1997, pp. 41-133. ISBN: 9781859724101.

15-16

Regional and multiregional accounting structures, part 1

Regional and multiregional accounting structures, part 2

Bendavid-Val, Avrom. Regional and Local Economic Analysis for Practitioners. 4th ed. New York, NY: Praeger, 1991, pp. 41-52. ISBN: 9780275937515.

Miller, Ronald. “Regional and Interregional Input-Output Analysis.” In Methods of Interregional and Regional Analysis. Edited by Walter Isard, Iwan Aziz, Matthew Drennan, Ronald Miller, Sidney Saltzman, and Erik Thorbecke. Brookfield, VT: Ashgate, 1997, pp. 41-133. ISBN: 9781859724101.

Polenske, Karen. “Leontief’s Spatial Economic Analyses.” Structural Change and Economic Dynamics 6, no. 3 (1995): 309-318.

Oosterhaven, Jan, and Karen Polenske. “Modern Regional Input-Output and Impact Analysis.” Chapter 21 in Handbook of Regional Growth and Development Theories. Edited by Roberta Capello and Peter Nijkamp. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar, 2009. ISBN: 9781847205063.

17 Uses of accounts: linkage analyses

Hirschman, Albert. The Strategy of Economic Development. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1958, pp. 98-119. ISBN: 9780300001174.

Miller, Ronald. “Regional and Interregional Input-Output Analysis.” In Methods of Interregional and Regional Analysis. Edited by Walter Isard, Iwan Aziz, Matthew Drennan, Ronald Miller, Sidney Saltzman, and Erik Thorbecke. Brookfield, VT: Ashgate, 1997, pp. 41-133. ISBN: 9781859724101.

Polenske, Karen, and Petros Sivitanides. “Linkages in the Construction Sector.” The Annals of Regional Science 24, no. 2 (1990): 147-161.

18 Social accounting matrices: environmental and social multipliers

Thorbecke, Erik. “Social Accounting Matrices and Social Accounting Analysis.” In Methods of Interregional and Regional Analysis. Edited by Walter Isard, Iwan Aziz, Matthew Drennan, Ronald Miller, Sidney Saltzman, and Erik Thorbecke. Brookfield, VT: Ashgate, 1997, pp. 281-331. ISBN: 9781859724101.

Rich, Karl, Alex Winter-Nelson, and Gerald Nelson. “Political Feasibility of Structural Adjustment in Africa: An Application of SAMs Mixed Multipliers.” World Development 25, no. 12 (1997): 2105-2114.

Peskin, Henry, and Ernst Lutz. “A Survey of Resource and Environmental Accounting in Industrialized Countries.” Environment Working Paper, no. 37. Washington, DC: The World Bank, 1990, pp. 1-26.

19

Accounting issues and concepts: boundaries

Imputations and underground economy

Loayza, Norman. “The Economics of the Informal Sector: A Simple Model and Some Empirical Evidence from Latin America.” Policy Research Working Paper Series 1727, The World Bank, 1997.

Kendrick, John. “Expanded Imputed Values in the National Income and Product Accounts.” Review of Income and Wealth 25, no. 4 (1979): 349-363.

20 Price indices

Wonnacott, Thomas, and Ronald Wonnacott. Introductory Statistics for Business and Economics. 4th ed. New York, NY: Wiley, 1990, pp. 664-677. ISBN: 9780471527169.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Consumer Price Index.” Chapter 17 in BLS Handbook of Methods. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2007. (PDF)

Wynne, Mark, and Fiona Sigalla. “The Consumer Price Index.” Economic Review: Federal Reserve Board of Dallas, Summer 1994, 1-22.

Hausman, Jerry. “New Products and Price Indexes.” NBER Reporter, Fall 1998, 10-12.

Analytics of regional economics
21 Shift-share analyses

Stevens, Benjamin, and Craig Moore. “A Critical Review of the Literature on Shift-Share as a Forecasting Technique.” Journal of Regional Science 20, no. 4 (1980): 419-437.

Graham, Daniel, and Nigel Spence. “Manufacturing Employment Change, Output Demand, and Labor Productivity in the Regions of Britain.” International Regional Science Review 23, no. 2 (2000): 172-200.

22 Determinants of city and regional growth

Glaeser, Edward, José A. Sheinkman, and Andrei Shleifer. “Economic Growth in a Cross-Section of Cities.” Journal of Monetary Economics 36 (1995): 117-144.

da Mata, Daniel, U. Deichmann, J. Vernon Henderson, Somik Lall, and H. G. Wang. “Determinants of City Growth in Brazil.” NBER Working Paper No. 11585, August 2005.

23 Regional economics and energy

Fisher-Vanden, Karen, Gary Jefferson, H. Liu, and Q. Tao. “What is Driving China’s Decline in Energy Intensity?” Resource and Energy Economics 26, no. 1 (2004): 77-97.

Polenske, Karen, and Francis McMichael. “A Chinese Cokemaking Process-Flow Model for Energy and Environmental Analyses.” Energy Policy 30, no. 10 (2002): 865-883.

Canning, Patrick, Ainsley Charles, Sonya Huang, Karen Polenske, and Arnold Waters. “Food Related Energy Use in the United States: Is the Growth Trend Slowing?” To be submitted for publication as an EPS economic research report.

24 Regional economics disasters

Okuyama, Yasuhide, J. D. Hewings, and M. Sonis. “Measuring Economic Impacts of Disasters: Interregional Input-Output Analysis Using Sequential Interindustry Model.” In Modeling Spatial and Economic Impacts of Disasters. Edited by Yasuhide Okuyama and Stephanie Chang. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag, 2004, pp. 77-101. ISBN: 9783540214496.

Horwich, George. “Economic Lessons of the Kobe Earthquake.” Economic Development and Cultural Change 48, no. 3 (2000): 521-542.

25 Student presentations  
26 Student presentations (cont.)  
Learning Resource Types
Problem Sets
Lecture Notes
Projects with Examples