IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/ecdequ/v37y2023i1p77-84.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Policy, Empirical Analysis, and Equity: Challenges for Research

Author

Listed:
  • Richard McGahey

Abstract

Regional economic development research must engage with empirical questions and policy evaluations and America's underlying anti-urban bias, which shapes American cities and policy. Standard mathematical microeconomic-founded models are a limited guide to analysis and interpretation; empirical work should consider other disciplines in addition to diverse economic perspectives. Underlying structural factors may be difficult to analyze but need attention, including federal and state hostility to cities, fragmented metropolitan forms that maldistribute urban economic output, and structural racism's impact on economies, housing, and labor markets. Doing strong empirical work while de-emphasizing theory building seems the best way to proceed.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard McGahey, 2023. "Policy, Empirical Analysis, and Equity: Challenges for Research," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 37(1), pages 77-84, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:ecdequ:v:37:y:2023:i:1:p:77-84
    DOI: 10.1177/08912424221141892
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/08912424221141892
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/08912424221141892?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Malcolm Rutherford, 2001. "Institutional Economics: Then and Now," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 15(3), pages 173-194, Summer.
    2. Glaeser, Edward L., 2008. "The Economic Approach to Cities," Working Paper Series rwp08-003, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
    3. Timothy J. Bartik, 2020. "Using Place-Based Jobs Policies to Help Distressed Communities," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 34(3), pages 99-127, Summer.
    4. Benjamin Austin & Edward Glaeser & Lawrence Summers, 2018. "Jobs for the Heartland: Place-Based Policies in 21st-Century America," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 49(1 (Spring), pages 151-255.
    5. Roback, Jennifer, 1982. "Wages, Rents, and the Quality of Life," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 90(6), pages 1257-1278, December.
    6. David Neumark, 2020. "Place‐Based Policies: Can We Do Better Than Enterprise Zones?," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(3), pages 836-844, June.
    7. Paul Krugman, 2011. "The New Economic Geography, Now Middle-aged," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(1), pages 1-7.
    8. Michael Storper, 2011. "Why do regions develop and change: the challenge for geography and economics," Post-Print hal-03417606, HAL.
    9. Michael Storper, 2011. "Why do regions develop and change: the challenge for geography and economics," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-03417606, HAL.
    10. Charles M. Tiebout, 1956. "A Pure Theory of Local Expenditures," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 64(5), pages 416-416.
    11. Rosen, Sherwin, 1974. "Hedonic Prices and Implicit Markets: Product Differentiation in Pure Competition," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 82(1), pages 34-55, Jan.-Feb..
    12. Timothy J. Bartik, 2020. "Smart Place‐Based Policies Can Improve Local Labor Markets," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(3), pages 844-851, June.
    13. Michael Storper, 2011. "Why do regions develop and change? The challenge for geography and economics," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 11(2), pages 333-346, March.
    14. Jonathan David Ostry & Andrew Berg & Charalambos G Tsangarides, 2014. "Redistribution, Inequality, and Growth," IMF Staff Discussion Notes 14/02, International Monetary Fund.
    15. Ellora Derenoncourt, 2022. "Can You Move to Opportunity? Evidence from the Great Migration," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 112(2), pages 369-408, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dionysia Lambiri & Bianca Biagi & Vicente Royuela, 2007. "Quality of Life in the Economic and Urban Economic Literature," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 84(1), pages 1-25, October.
    2. John V. Winters, 2022. "No Place Like Home: Place-Based Attachments and Regional Science," The Review of Regional Studies, Southern Regional Science Association, vol. 52(2), pages 159-175.
    3. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/5tqdseqksb93a9s4o6tla4ftjs is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Gömleksiz, Mustafa & Özsahin, Serife, . "The Regional Dynamics of Economic Growth: Evidence from GMM Estimation in Turkey," Asian Journal of Applied Economics, Kasetsart University, Center for Applied Economics Research, vol. 26(01).
    5. Klaiber, H. Allen, 2014. "Migration and household adaptation to climate: A review of empirical research," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 539-547.
    6. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/5tqdseqksb93a9s4o6tla4ftjs is not listed on IDEAS
    7. David C. Maré & Andrew Coleman, 2011. "Estimating the determinants of population location in Auckland," Working Papers 11_07, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research.
    8. Kiel, Katherine A. & Zabel, Jeffrey E., 2008. "Location, location, location: The 3L Approach to house price determination," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 175-190, June.
    9. Lall, Somik V. & Lundberg, Mattias, 2008. "What are public services worth, and to whom? Non-parametric estimation of capitalization in Pune," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 34-64, March.
    10. Craig Sylvera, 2025. "Black Mayors and Black Communities," Working Papers 25-07, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
    11. David E. Clark, 2004. "Amenity Valuation, Incomplete Compensation and Migration," Working Papers and Research 0402, Marquette University, Center for Global and Economic Studies and Department of Economics.
    12. David C. Maré & Andrew Coleman & Ruth Pinkerton, 2011. "Patterns of population location in Auckland," Working Papers 11_06, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research.
    13. Hubert Jayet, 1996. "L'analyse économique des migrations, une synthèse critique," Revue Économique, Programme National Persée, vol. 47(2), pages 193-226.
    14. Baum-Snow, Nathaniel & Ferreira, Fernando, 2015. "Causal Inference in Urban and Regional Economics," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, in: Gilles Duranton & J. V. Henderson & William C. Strange (ed.), Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 3-68, Elsevier.
    15. Teulings, Coen & Ossokina, Ioulia V. & de Groot, Henri L.F., 2014. "Welfare Benefits of Agglomeration and Worker Heterogeneity," IZA Discussion Papers 8382, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. Nicolas Jannin & Aurélie Sotura, 2019. "This Town Ain't Big Enough? Quantifying Local Public Goods Spillovers," PSE Working Papers halshs-02160251, HAL.
    17. Nicolai V. Kuminoff & V. Kerry Smith & Christopher Timmins, 2010. "The New Economics of Equilibrium Sorting and its Transformational Role for Policy Evaluation," NBER Working Papers 16349, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    18. Zhang, Min & Partridge, Mark & Song, Huasheng, 2018. "Amenities and Geography of Innovation: Evidence from Chinese Cities," MPRA Paper 83673, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. De Groot, Henri L.F. & Ossokina, Ioulia V. & Teulings, Coen N, 2014. "Welfare Benefits of Agglomeration and Worker Heterogeneity," CEPR Discussion Papers 10216, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    20. Arthur Guillouzouic & Emeric Henry & Joan Monras, 2021. "Local Public Goods and the Spatial Distribution of Economic Activity," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-03389155, HAL.
    21. Chugunov, D., 2013. "Impact of School Quality and Neighborhoods on Housing Prices in Moscow," Journal of the New Economic Association, New Economic Association, vol. 17(1), pages 87-112.
    22. Michael Greenstone & Enrico Moretti, 2003. "Bidding for Industrial Plants: Does Winning a 'Million Dollar Plant' Increase Welfare?," NBER Working Papers 9844, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:ecdequ:v:37:y:2023:i:1:p:77-84. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.