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Does Broadband Matter for Rural Entrepreneurs and Creative Class Employees?

Author

Listed:
  • Kelsey L. Conley

    (Oklahoma State University)

  • Brian E. Whitacre

    (Oklahoma State University)

Abstract

Efforts to attract entrepreneurs and "creative class" workers have become important components of economic development strategies for rural communities. One commonly held perception is that broadband access is important for these types of employees; however, empirical research on the relationship between the two is generally lacking. This study uses county-level data from the continental U.S. to estimate spatial and first-differenced regression models on the association between broadband and measures of entrepreneurship/creative-class employees in rural areas. The results suggest that high levels of broadband adoption may in fact serve to reduce the numbers of entrepreneurs and creative class employees in rural America. These findings serve as a reminder that broadband is not a panacea for all issues of importance to rural communities and provide evidence that there may be negative implications associated with efforts to increase levels of rural broadband access and adoption.

Suggested Citation

  • Kelsey L. Conley & Brian E. Whitacre, 2016. "Does Broadband Matter for Rural Entrepreneurs and Creative Class Employees?," The Review of Regional Studies, Southern Regional Science Association, vol. 46(2), pages 171-190, Summer.
    • Handle: RePEc:rre:publsh:v46:y:2016:i:2:p:171-190
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Yifeng Philip Chen & Edward J. Oughton & Jakub Zagdanski & Maggie Mo Jia & Peter Tyler, 2023. "Crowdsourced data indicates broadband has a positive impact on local business creation," Papers 2308.14734, arXiv.org.
    2. Steven Deller & Brian Whitacre & Tessa Conroy, 2022. "Rural broadband speeds and business startup rates," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 104(3), pages 999-1025, May.
    3. Chloé Duvivier & Emma Cazou & Stéphanie Truchet‐Aznar & Cédric Brunelle & Jean Dubé, 2021. "When, where, and for what industries does broadband foster establishment births?," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 100(6), pages 1377-1401, December.
    4. Amitrajeet A. Batabyal & Peter Nijkamp, 2022. "Interregional Competition for Mobile Creative Capital with and Without Physical Capital Mobility," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 45(1), pages 58-73, January.
    5. Deng, Xin & Xu, Dingde & Zeng, Miao & Qi, Yanbin, 2019. "Does Internet use help reduce rural cropland abandonment? Evidence from China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    6. Amitrajeet A. Batabyal & Seung Jick Yoo, 2023. "Using Taxes to Attract the Creative Class in the Presence of a Region-Specific Rent," The Review of Regional Studies, Southern Regional Science Association, vol. 53(2), pages 182-191.
    7. Amitrajeet A. Batabyal & Hamid Beladi, 2022. "The Response of Creative Class Members to Regions Vying to Attract Them With Subsidies," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 45(5), pages 581-600, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    broadband; rural entrepreneurs; rural creative class; spatial error; first-differenced;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • R15 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Econometric and Input-Output Models; Other Methods
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship

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