1st Edition

Regional and Urban Economics and Economic Development Theory and Methods

By Mary E. Edwards Copyright 2007
    786 Pages 98 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Thorough and authoritative, Regional and Urban Economics and Economic Development: Theory and Methods provides students with a sound approach to analyzing the economic progress of a region or urban area.

    The textbook is divided into four sections for ease of reference. The first section, Market Areas and Firm Location Analysis introduces spatial economics and location theory, while the next section, Regional Growth and Development analyzes regional growth and development models and policy. Introducing the foundations of urban economics, Urban Land Use and Urban Form examines land rent, land use patterns, and the effects of attempts to control land uses. The final section, Urban Problems and Policy, investigates local public finance and introduces the policy analysis involved in countering urban problems.

    Addressing these topics from the perspectives of how they affect the population at large and how they become established within public policy, Regional and Urban Economics and Economic Development: Theory and Methods provides students with an essential foundation not only to understand but also to contemplate the dynamics of varying economic factors as they relate to an area's growth.

    Nature and Scope of Regional and Urban Economics
    Roots of Spatial Economics
    What makes up a Region?
    Classifying Regions
    How Does Space Affect Traditional Economics?
    Plan of the Book
    Appendix: Data Sources
    Research Questions
    List of References

    PART I: MARKET AREAS AND FIRM LOCATION ANALYSIS
    Linear Market Areas
    From Demand Functions to Price-Distance Functions
    Dynamics of Market Areas
    Price Elasticity of Demand and Distance
    Hotelling's Linear Markets
    Challenging the Principle of Minimum Differentiation
    Consumer Search Behavior and Firm Location
    Summary and Conclusions
    Chapter Questions
    Research Assignments
    List of References
    Mathematical Appendix
    Questions to Mathematical Appendix

    Market Areas and Systems of Cities
    Location on a Plain
    Systems of Cities and Central Places
    The Instability of Urban Hierarchies
    Approaches for Studying Competing Centers
    Rural Cities and Economic Growth
    Limitations of the Central Place Theory
    Summary and Conclusions
    Chapter Questions
    Research Assignments
    List of References
    Appendix: Delineating Markets
    Summary and Conclusions
    Now it's Your Turn
    List of References

    Industrial Location
    Least Cost Location with Variable Inputs
    Increasing versus Constant Returns to Scale
    Transport-Oriented Models
    Footloose Firms
    Summary
    Chapter Questions
    Research Assignments
    List of References

    Agglomeration Economies and Entrepreneur's Preferences
    Agglomeration Economies
    Localization Economies
    Urbanization Economies
    Diseconomies of Agglomeration
    Accidents, History and Circular and Cumulative Causality
    Utility Maximization and Plant Location
    Summary and Conclusion
    Chapter Questions
    Research Assignments
    List of References
    Appendix: Location under Uncertainty
    List of References

    Spatial Pricing Decisions
    What is Price Discrimination?
    Spatial Price Discrimination
    Welfare Analysis of Pricing Decisions
    Summary and Conclusions
    Chapter Questions
    Research Assignment
    List of References

    PART II. REGIONAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
    Short-Run Income Models
    Production Possibilities Curves and Economic Growth
    Comparative Advantage
    Demand-Based Models (Short-Run)
    Economic Base Theory and Analysis
    Nontraditional Economic Bases
    Financial Markets and Regional Growth
    Input-Output Analysis
    Decomposing Regional Employment
    Summary and Conclusions
    Chapter Questions
    Research Assignments
    List of References
    Appendix: Short-run Model of an Open Economy

    Supply-Based Regional Growth Analysis
    Neoclassical Growth Theory
    Endogenous Growth Theory
    Innovation and the Diffusion of Technology
    Knowledge, Innovation and Technological Progress
    Human Capital and Technical Change
    The Role of Capital and Entrepreneurship in Regional
    Growth
    Foreign Direct Investment: Does Ownership of Capital
    Matter?
    Summary and Conclusions
    Chapter Questions
    Research Assignments
    List of References

    Core-Periphery Models: Distance Counts
    von Thünen's Concentric Rings
    Product Life-Cycles and Firm Location
    Growth Poles
    Staple Theory of Economic Development
    Rural Economic Development
    Summary and Conclusions
    Chapter Questions
    Research Assignments
    List of References

    Regional Labor Markets and Migration
    Labor Market Structure
    Regional Wage Differentials
    Types of Unemployment
    Increasing a Region's Labor Supply
    Consequences of Immigration
    Summary and Conclusions
    Chapter Questions
    Research Assignments
    List of References

    Can Government Change a Region's Growth Path?
    Why Government?
    Will Non-Resident Consumer Spending Sustain Regional
    Prosperity?
    The Effects of Economic Development Policy
    Economic Development Incentive Tools
    Is the Battle Worth It?
    Summary
    Chapter Questions
    Research Assignments
    List of References
    Appendix: Measuring an Area's Economic Welfare
    Research Assignment
    List of References

    PART III. URBAN LAND USE AND URBAN FORM
    Land Rents and Land Use Patterns
    Land Rent, Contract Rent and Economic Rent
    Demand for Land
    Intraurban Industry Location
    Periurbanization
    Capitalization Process
    Hedonic Price Indices
    Summary and Conclusion
    Chapter Questions
    Research Assignments
    List of References

    The Housing Market
    Why is the Housing Market Efficient?
    Housing Services
    Housing Prices
    Housing Supply Functions
    Housing Demand
    Segregation and Discrimination
    Affordability
    Summary and Conclusions
    Chapter Questions
    Research Assignments
    List of References

    Transportation
    Transportation Demand
    Transportation Supply
    Costing-out Externalities
    Congestion
    Summary and Conclusions
    Chapter Questions
    Research Assignments
    List of References

    Growth Controls, Smart Growth and Zoning
    Urban Sustainability
    Property Rights and Ownership
    How to Control Growth
    Effects of Controlling Land-Use
    Is there a Case for Controlled Growth?
    Compact Cities
    Alternative Solutions for Curbing "Sprawl"
    Summery and Conclusions
    Chapter Question
    Research Assignment
    List of References

    PART IV. URBAN PROBLEMS AND POLICY
    Local Public Finance
    Collective Choice and the Median Voter Model
    Local Public Goods
    Tiebout Hypothesis
    Public Finance Debates
    Revenue Sources of Local Government
    Summary and Conclusions
    Chapter Questions
    Research Questions
    List of References
    Appendix: Edgeworth Box and Pareto Optimality

    Intergovernmental Relations
    Fiscal Federalism: Who Provides What to Whom?
    Government Hierarchies and Local Game Playing
    Interjurisdictional Competition
    Yardstick Competition
    Summary and Conclusions
    Chapter Questions
    Research Questions
    List of References

    Income Inequality and Poverty
    Definition of Income
    Measuring Income Inequality and Poverty
    Who are the Poor?
    Poverty Dynamics
    How to Help the Poor
    Conclusion
    Chapter Questions
    Research Questions
    List of References

    Optimal Local Education Policies
    Education and Growth
    Production Function for Education
    Creating an Educated Labor Force
    Improving School Quality
    Willingness to pay for Education
    Conclusion
    Chapter Questions
    Research Questions
    List of References

    Controlling Crime
    Categorizing Crimes
    Economic Theory of Crime
    Competing Theories of Crime
    Social Costs of Crime
    Victims
    Economic Theories of Hate, Passion, Violence and
    Drugs
    Victimless Crimes
    Organized Crime
    What Works to Reduce Crime?
    Summary and Conclusions
    Chapter Questions
    Research Questions
    List of References

    Biography

    Mary E. Edwards (St Cloud State University, Minnesota, USA) (Author)