Browsing by Subject "Economic development"
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Item Alternative workforce development : the potential of youth, arts-based initiatives and the case of the Rose Kids(2013-08) Brigmon, Nathan; Sletto, BjørnEvery year, the US Conference of Mayors presents awards to mayors and their administrations for programs that enhance the quality of life in urban areas. In 2009, the City of Charleston won and was named America’s “Most Livable” City. The program that won them the honor was the Palmetto Artisan Program, an entrepreneurial skill program helping youth artisans become licensed business vendors. This report seeks to understand the potential for arts-based youth programs, like the Palmetto Artisan Program, to impact local economic development and enhance quality of life. I explore this issue through a literature review of workforce development, arts-related economic development, an analysis of five programs across the country, and an in-depth analysis of the Palmetto Artisan Program in Charleston, SC. The report concludes with recommendations and insights for cities and regions wishing to implement similar programs that benefit young people and their communities.Item Are we really helping? Data collection tools for Texas Main Street Cities(2016-05) Bostick, Britin Ashley; Wegmann, Jake; Evans, AngelaData for the Texas Main Street Program is collected from the participating individual local programs through program managers who may not have sufficient knowledge, education or training to accurately or adequately provide the information requested. The questions asked in the report forms do not capture data that can give a clear picture of program performance or provide an effective comparison of peer programs. The format of the reporting forms is weighted toward manual transfer of information and presents difficulties for systematic review. These three factors combined inhibit analysis that can inform the effectiveness of state program policies which are implemented at the local level. Building a set of tools to effectively utilize data collection opportunities can help improve the quality of data collected. Better quality data enables analysis of how well the programs are working locally. This analysis could serve to inform Texas Main Street Program policy and provide opportunities to improve the local programs and to understand what successes can be replicated. This Professional Report analyzes how data is currently collected by the Texas Main Street Program, what is done with that data and what changes could be made to the current set of data collection tools. It also proposes new tools that could enable more effective policy for the program.Item The arts as amenity : a factor in regional economic development?(2007-05) Sullivan, Ryan James; Oden, MichaelArts and cultural activity may play an important role in regional economic development. But to what end and by what means? Traditional economic development theory identifies export expansion and import substitution as the means by which an industrial sector may add to a region’s economic base. Recorded and visual arts may produce exports in some regions, but live performing arts are incapable of exportation. Instead, they must generate tourism to capture extra-regional dollars. Contemporary research argues two additional means by which the arts may encourage growth. First, the presence of a great many artists and arts institutions may increase firm productivity and efficiency by reducing the cost of arts services, increasing the quality of and accessibility to arts services, and promoting innovation. Second, an abundance of arts and cultural activity may attract a highly skilled, competitive workforce, which then attracts firm relocation. This report presents original research designed to test this last hypothesis as applied to Austin, Texas. Results indicate that while the arts in Austin may not attract a competitive workforce, they do appear to have at least some significance in retaining creative professionals.Item Arts-based adaptive reuse development in Birmingham, Alabama(2010-05) Griffin, Celeste Evans; Sletto, Bjorn; Oden, MichaelThis report, situated in Birmingham, Alabama, explores the best strategies for implementing arts-based adaptive reuse development in vacant or available downtown buildings. Through adaptive-reuse, a strategy of repurposing old buildings for new uses, the arts sector in Birmingham can be nurtured and strengthened. In this report, I present the major implications associated with the strengthening of the arts community. These implications include economic development, central city revitalization, community building, and gentrification.Item Balance between humanity and ecology(2009) Spears, Steven Joseph, 1974-; Catterall, KateIncorporating aspects of public and environmental art practices into my professional endeavors as a landscape architect and urban designer has provided me with opportunities to work at a human scale, consider human needs, and focus on environmental issues that are closely interwoven with those needs. The public and environmental art process has presented greater opportunities to balance the sublime with the pragmatic and allows for a more overt communication between designer and audience, viewer or user. Functioning in this interstitial space allows me to communicate ideas clearly and to initiate a broader discussion on how society might find a balance between the stewardship of the natural environment in the face of the exponential growth of communities and the desire to own and develop land. My aim is to strike a balance between economic development and environmental imperatives through work bridging the practice of landscape architecture and public art. My objective is to use art and design work in the environment to persuade people to utilize all of their senses and to realize the undiscovered in their own journey, to stop and notice the world around them, and to act to protect the delicate balance between contemporary civilization and precious ecosystems. Using a method to register and then to make overt ephemeral elements in the environment, I aim to both demonstrate the ever-changing quality of nature and, more importantly, abuses of the natural environment in our society. Although my interest in the natural environment is multifaceted, water quantity and quality is a focus for my work. It is fast becoming a global issue with dire environmental and social ramifications. In the southwest United States and Australia, water is scarce. In the northwest United States and Finland, water quality remains an issue. In parts of Africa and Asia, water is being privatized and villages are left without a source of life and livelihood that has been a constant for generations. The more poetic aspect of my work focuses on natural time and revealing the abstract beauty of the environment. Shadows, sun, water and wind are all environmental systems that we can learn from and are revealed to us through natural time. It is through natural time that we may learn, respect and come into balance with the environment. In order for my work to succeed on all levels and reach the broadest possible audience, it needs to exist in the public realm. In order for it to communicate effectively it needs to be both, persuasive and poetic; while revealing possibilities for harmony between humanity and ecology. This can be achieved by communicating natures’ equilibrium surrounding environmental issues in the face of human civilization and time.Item Best practices for economic development in metropolitan areas in post-recession eras(2016-05) Conte, Gregory Robert; Wilson, Robert Hines; Gawande, Kishore S., 1959-Metropolitan areas have established themselves drivers to the national economy, and contributors to the overall global economy. For instance, of the 3 million U.S. jobs created in 2014, 94 percent were produced in metro areas. As citizens leave rural areas to find work and prosperity in more urbanized centers, policymakers in these regions are beginning to recognize that their policies and strategies have the tendency to resonate further than intended. The Great Recession of 2007-09 devastated many local economies as regional areas found themselves unprepared as they picked up the pieces from their broken economy. This report argues that metro areas, while still producing collaborative economic development plans, need to also reflect upon previous post-recession eras and proactively prepare for the next national turndown. While no metro area is recession proof, policymakers and stakeholders have a responsibility to insulate their areas as best as possible from proceeding recessions and this concern is often an afterthought.Item Differentials in traditional vs. sustainable tourism planning processes in developing countries, with an application of the sustainable tourism planning principles to the tourism destination of La Romana-Bayahibe, Dominican Republic(2008-12) De Schaun, Kelly Robinson; Oden, MichaelTourism development has been advocated for as a means by which to stimulate regional economic development in developing countries by international development agencies and governments seeking to transition from agricultural to industrial economies. First viewed as a purely private sector activity, tourism development planning was ad hoc or reactive to the demands of a quickly growing and highly dynamic industry. The externalities and negative impacts of rapid development and poor planning were quickly recognizable in small economies; high economic leakages, cultural encroachment, environmental degradation. When planning processes were undertaken, methodologies were derived from those of developed countries, proving not to be the most appropriate approaches to tourism development in lesser developed economies where administrative and structural capacities are weak or non-existent. Planning objectives also were heavily focused on physical requirements and financial outputs, all derived from identified market segments. Sustainable tourism development evolved from the recognition that the industry is dependant upon natural and cultural resources which must be preserved. Planning processes focus more on the capacity of these underlying resources, as opposed to simply meeting market demands for products and services. The integration of these resources as tourism amenities is furthermore thought to be crucial to sustaining the value of the tourism product. Nonetheless, sustainable tourism development planning is no better defined than its traditional counterpart. Implementation of planning processes, both traditional and sustainable, are challenging, especially in developing countries. This report seeks to identify fundamental differences in traditional versus sustaining planning processes for tourism in regards to vision, goals, objectives, strategies and performance indicators. The goals and objectives of sustainable tourism development are evaluated against national developmental indicators for socio-cultural, environmental and economic outcomes. A case study example is undertaken of the mass tourism destination La Romana-Bayahibe, Dominican Republic where, through the local private sector hotel association, the Interamerican Development Bank is funding the development of a “Sustainable Tourism Development Model”. An evaluation of the established goals and objectives is undertaken with the aim of identifying rational performance indicators for evaluation of the project’s impact.Item Disaster capitalism : tsunami reconstruction and neoliberalism in Nagapattinam, South India(2011-05) Swamy, Raja Harish; Hale, Charles R., 1957-; Ali, Kamran; Brow, James; Ghosh, Kaushik; Bavinck, MaartenThis dissertation examines the impacts of the tsunami of 2004 on economic development priorities in Nagapattinam, South India. By focusing on the manner in which the disaster was cast as an opportunity by the state and multilateral agencies, the unprecedented scale and ambiguous character of involvement by NGOs in reconstruction, and the distinction drawn between economic development and humanitarian aid in the constitution of a reconstruction agenda predicated on the relocation of artisanal fisher communities from the coast, this study demonstrates how post-disaster outcomes are increasingly being shaped by priorities tied to neoliberal globalization. At the same time the processes that unfold are also characterized by significant complexities particularly on account of efforts by affected populations to deploy various strategies to defend their interests, and substantive differences in the approach of NGOs.Item Essays in economic development and conflict(2004) Ali, Hamid Eltgani, 1962-; Galbraith, James K.My dissertation consists of three chapters dealing with issues related to economic development and conflict. The first and second chapters discuss military expenditures and inequality from global and regional perspectives. The third chapter focuses on the impact of wars on relative wages in the food sector. In the first chapter we show that a substantial body of literature has uncovered a robust relationship between institutions-including unionization and political democracy- and economic inequality. This first chapter examines the effect of military spending on inequality controlling for the size of armed forces, GDP growth, per capita income and other possible determinants. Using a panel regression with country level observations from 1987-1997, we obtained consistent estimates that there is a positive effect of military expenditure on pay inequality. This relationship is robust across variable definitions and model specification. Given the close relationship between pay and income this result suggests that a country’s reduction in military spending could reduce income inequality. Studying the inequality of the Middle East and North African (MENA) countries provides an opportunity to assess factors that shape the countries’ suc- cess in distributing the wealth by looking beyond simple measures of wealth creation. This second chapter examines two issues presented in the first chapter with more emphasis on the regional dynamics. The empirical results indicate that again the military spending has strong and positive effect on inequality. A systematic reduction in military spending could reduce the level of inequality since it frees resources for other social and economic development programs. The final chapter introduces a new perspective in considering the impact of wars on relative wages in the food sector. In a state of war people are at risk of losing one of their most basic rights — food. Millions may live in the shadow of famine and poverty. Micro-level analyses of "food-cost ratio" during civil or international wars give us insight into governments’ ability, or inability to mobilize the resources to counter the danger of hunger and famine. Understanding the factors that make the food-cost ratio rise may help to formulate policy responses that mitigate human suffering in wartime environments. Therefore, this paper examines two questions: first, the effect of wars on the food-cost ratio; second, what are policies likely reduce the food-cost ratio? To answer these research questions we use panel data for 50 countries from the 1960s to the 1990s. The results of this paper will show that civil wars positively affect the food-cost ratio, while international wars apparently do not. The policy implication of this analysis is that in the event of a civil war, policy makers lack the resources to exert control on rising food-cost ratio. A rise in the food-cost ratio could be translated into higher food prices or lower purchasing power over food, either of which may havedevastating impacts on social and economic well-being. In the event of an international war, as opposed to civil war, governments have a greater capacity to prioritize and mobilize resources. Food imports remain an effective tool to reduce the rise in the food-cost ratio.Item Estimating economic impacts from transportation investments using the Texas Statewide Analysis Model and TREDIS(2013-08) Higgins, Samuel Felix; Walton, C. MichaelEconomic analyses of transportation investments are a common component of transportation planning. The profile of economic analyses has continued to rise due to increasing budget constraints and increasing emphasis on infrastructure's role in spurring economic development. One tool that has been developed specifically for transportation economic impact evaluation is the Transportation Economic Development Impact System (TREDIS). Common inputs for TREDIS are changes in travel characteristics caused by network improvements. Another commonly used planning tool is a travel demand model. Since 2003, the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) has worked on the development of the Statewide Analysis Model (SAM) which estimates travel characteristics for passenger and freight modes. Together, the models have the potential to improve project evaluation and to highlight the roles that certain projects have in creating economic development. The hypothesis explored for this study is that SAM and TREDIS can be feasibly used together to help TXDOT evaluate the economic impacts of investments in freight corridors and other transportation investments. This report begins with general discussions of transportation economic analyses and the two models used. Then, the current SAM is evaluated using TREDIS followed by a discussion of the results and ways that this type of integrated planning can be incorporated by agencies. Through this study, key results include: the process of incorporating results from the SAM for use in TREDIS is feasible, an overall benefit-cost ratio of 4 for the entire set of long range roadway projects included in the SAM and 8 for only the interstate projects included in the SAM, rail and other transportation analyses are feasible using SAM and TREDIS.Item "Forward with the nation" : Zambia, China, and the West, 1960-1970(2012-12) Achberger, Jessica; Falola, Toyin; Lawrence, Mark; Metzler, Mark; Brands, H. W.; Boone, CatherineThis dissertation examines how Zambia’s international relations, particularly with China, affected its political and economic development in the first decade after independence. Zambian development issues in the 1960s were directly tied to the volatile situation in Southern Africa, and its methods of negotiating this situation were deeply influenced by the Cold War. Regional issues placed land-locked Zambia in a difficult situation politically, economically, and socially. Yet, despite major hurdles to peace and stability, Zambia was an anomaly among newly independent Africa nations. Postcolonial African history is riddled with violent decolonization struggles, civil war, and oppressive dictatorship. The history of these newly independent nations was dramatic and bloody and has garnered much attention from scholars of Africa, identifying causes ranging from inept colonial governance to neo-colonialism, global resource competition, and poor leadership. More recently, scholars have begun to include the Cold War in this postcolonial narrative; however, they have almost exclusively focused on instances of resistance. It is true that violent conflict unfortunately represents a majority of decolonization struggles, not just in Africa, but in Asia as well. It is also true that these narratives are more dramatic than their peaceful counterparts. It is not true however, that decolonization struggles influenced by the Cold War only manifested in bloodshed. Relatively speaking, the Zambian independence process was deliberate and peaceful. Yet Zambia’s political and economic development following independence was directly influenced by the bi-polar political situation of the Cold War. The Zambian government’s most important communist ally was the People’s Republic of China. The reaction of the West to this “mutually beneficial friendship” between Zambia and China was, unsurprisingly, not a positive one. Yet Zambia’s staunch commitment to non-alignment was both a reaction to its political and economic situation, as well as the best way of ensuring development. Through trade agreements, pledges of aid, and, most importantly, the negotiation of the TAZARA railway, the Zambian government showed deft political skills at negotiating between the West and China for its continued economic development.Item Ideologies of the everyday : public space, new urbanism, and the political unconscious of bus rapid transit(2012-12) Zigmund, Stephen Michael; Mueller, Elizabeth J.; Sletto, BjornThis research uses the recent development of bus rapid transit (BRT) on Cleveland, Ohio’s Euclid Avenue corridor as a case-study to explore the links between public transit, public space, and urban planning. Using Fredric Jameson’s (1981) method of textual analysis from The Political Unconscious, I explore the ways the BRT provides access to a buried class consciousness in the city as well as a “symbolic resolution” between conflicting agendas of development and equity. Contextualizing the new spaces of the BRT using a synthesis of Jameson’s (1984) theorization of postmodernism, Mike Davis’ (1990) militarization of public space, and Michel de Certeau’s (1984) spatial practices, I discuss the ways these spaces are remade by individual users as a vital public space despite the BRT’s embedded market ideology and repressive security apparatus. Additionally, I explore what BRT’s ‘ideology of form’ can tell us about the ideology of the dominant paradigm of planning today, New Urbanism, and use it as departure for a closing discussion of Utopian desires in planning.Item Maintaining urban industrial land use to accommodate new craft and light industrial economies(2016-05) Fleischer, Rebecca Miriam; Oden, Michael; Mueller, ElizabethThis report will examine the issue of declining urban industrial land use and analyze how cities might benefit from maintaining industrial-zoned land or reconfigure the definition of industrial use in order to accommodate new craft and light industrial economic activities. In order to accommodate both population and economic growth, several U.S. cities are currently faced with the challenge of either changing or maintaining existing land uses so they can provide housing, as well as commercial space for businesses to grow. In many cases, the high demand for housing has overtaken other priorities, such as maintaining industrial pockets, which has led to rezoning for mixed-use commercial and residential development. While a change in land use is beneficial for expanding housing supply, it is disregarding a possible need for new urban economic activities such as small shop inventors, artisanal bakers, home brewers, craft manufacturers – sometimes labeled the maker movement. The initial section of the report illustrates historical and current trends in industrial land use and zoning. I will also define industrial zoning and establish whether or not its definition is possibly irrelevant given today’s uses of such spaces. The paper will then see if scant industrial space is, indeed, an issue amongst cities and if they are seeing a rise of interest for designated zones to create clusters of industrial activities that may benefit from co-location opportunities. I will then explore what types of businesses can best benefit from urban manufacturing space, but may find it a challenge to find adequate space in their city due to zoning changes. I will then use the experiences of three cities that have designated industrial zones for PDR, or Production, Distribution and Repair, use or for light industrial use in order to provide warehouse and activity spaces for burgeoning businesses. Finally, the paper will discuss the importance of industrial spaces to the diversity and economic growth of US cities.Item Making other economies possible : inequality, consciousness-raising and the solidarity economy in Chile(2010-12) Adams, Lindsay Rose; Sletto, Bjørn; Galbraith, JamesThis study describes how economic policies in Latin America are informed by, and have affected, social norms regarding equality and solidarity. Through the rise and fall of institutions such as cooperatives and unions, and via social policy in education, health, and pensions, one can trace the ebb and flow of social solidarity as a justifiable socioeconomic policy aim in Latin America. As a result of the decrease in the legitimacy of social solidarity and equality that follows the implementation of neoliberalism, a new social movement in the region- the Solidarity Economy- has emerged to reestablish these values. However, it is largely borrowing from a tradition of associativism and other private-sector civil-society initiatives rather than vying directly for State power to institute its goals from within the polity. I provide a case study of the Santiago Solidarity Economy Network, in which I analyze their strategies of consciousness-raising and participation. The case study also explores generational and institutional differences within the Network that stem from varied political experiences of neoliberal policy. Finally, the case study details the obstacles to growth that this Network encounters, with a particular focus on those challenges that have emerged as a result of neoliberal policy and its’ effects on social norms of solidarity.Item Municipal economic growth through green projects and policies(2012-05) Lindner, Harry Dreyfus; Gamkhar, ShamaCities generally need economic growth. Green policies and projects are environmentally beneficial, desirable, expected by the public, and pragmatic in the long term. However, there is insufficient research on what, if any, municipal green projects and policies generate economic growth. To address this question, the author created a database of green and economic indicators, and modeled the green indicators to predict the economic indicators. The database included carbon usage, transportation metrics, water usage, the number of green jobs, and the gross domestic product (GDP) for the 100 largest cities, defined by metropolitan statistical area (MSA), in the U.S. To gather data on green indicators, existing green rankings, indices, and reports were evaluated for methodology and usability for this paper. The results of the data-gathering step show the need for more and better data collection. That means an increased number of green indicators should be collected, and data should be collected at the MSA (or county) level for more of the largest cities. Specifically to name some green indicators, data collection on energy usage, buildings, waste, land use, air quality, and food could be improved. Those green indicators would likely be included in a model that uses green indicators to predict green jobs or GDP. However, those were not included for the regressions in this paper. The results of the regressions in this paper show two indicators with promise for predicting economic growth as defined by GDP and number of green jobs: (1) percent of people using public transportation, biking, or walking to work, and (2) public water consumption per person. The first explanatory variable indirectly measures the adoption of policies that promote public transportation, biking, and walking. The results suggest that these policies have a positive effect on GDP and number of green jobs. This means the results suggest that as the percent increases, so does GDP and number of green jobs. The second explanatory variable measures the water conservation policies. The results suggest this variable has a negative, albeit weaker relationship with GDP per person. This means the results suggest as water conservation increases (less water usage per person), the GDP per person increases. This paper offers a methodology and some of the groundwork for building a model to show which, if any, municipal green projects and policies predict economic growth.Item A rail decommissioning project in the heartland : the potential integrated economic and green infrastructure development(2014-05) Weitzel, Jessica Ann; Sletto, BjørnThe State of Illinois and Federal government have designated one of three major rail corridors bisecting Springfield, Illinois, to be retrofitted to accommodate future high-speed rail traffic. The three corridors that bisect the city are known as the 3rd Street, 10th Street, and 19th Street corridors, each running north to south through the central city area. The approved plan completely decommissions the 3rd Street Corridor while expanding the 10th Street corridor to serve rail traffic currently using both of these corridors. Traffic to run along the expanded 10th Street corridor will include Amtrak's high-speed rail passenger service between St. Louis, Missouri, and Chicago, Illinois. The decommissioning of the 3rd Street Corridor in Springfield presents an opportunity for green infrastructure development in the form of a linear park. More broadly, this report argues that increasing quality of life amenities via the redevelopment of rail infrastructure provides a viable alternative economic development strategy for cities facing stagnant growth.Item Recovery of contaminated urban land through municipal setting designations in Texas(2011-05) Webb, Jenilee; Butler, Kent S.; Paterson, RobertBound by environmental regulations, many potential developers shy away from brownfield projects because of the high cleanup costs associated with remediating contaminated groundwater. These circumstances create tension between economic and environmental interests, and sometimes between equity interests as well. In Texas, one piece of legislation called the Municipal Setting Designation (2003) aims to reduce liability associated with the redevelopment of contaminated properties. It uses an institutional control to eliminate the ingestion exposure pathway for contaminated groundwater when property owners develop a response action to the contamination. By eliminating risk associated with human consumption, the MSD is designed to reduce costs and accelerate the process for environmental remediation. Some parties praise Texas for taking such steps to quicken the redevelopment of contaminated properties, while others have reservations. This report will explore Texas’ MSD program using case study analysis and GIS analysis. It will examine risks associated with proximity to other water resources, and the principle of “polluter pays.” What are the effects on the environment? What are the implications of extending MSD practices to cover large metropolitan areas over the long-term? Answers to these questions may identify successes and shortfalls that have emerged over the last eight years as municipalities and professionals have put this law into practice. As we continue to learn from experience, these insights may aid in refining Texas’ environmental stewardship policies for future generations.Item A study of the economic structure and change in the Texas Triangle(2010-05) Kim, Kiwook; Oden, MichaelAs global economic competition has intensified, many countries have begun focusing on the competitiveness of larger regions of city networks called megaregions. Consisting of two or more cities with specific linkages and connections, megaregions are becoming a new unit that researchers are using to analyze the global economy. The world’s 40 largest megaregions produce two thirds of the global economic output and more than eighty percent of the world’s innovations (Florida et al., 2007). Therefore, understanding the economic characteristics of megaregions can help isolate various challenges and opportunities associated with building on inter-relationships that enhance competitiveness. The Texas Triangle is one of 10 major megaregions in the U.S., and it functions as the primary economic engine of the Texas economy. This study analyzes how the economic characteristics of the major metropolitan areas in the Texas Triangle have changed over time by studying the basic dynamics of these metropolitan areas over the last decade. Results from this study show that each metropolitan area contains specialized export industries and that competition among them seems to be encouraging the economic growth of Texas. The basic industrial structure of the Texas Triangle has not been affected significantly by economic changes over the last decade. Finally, this report presents policy implications related to strengthening traditional economic bases and promoting sustainable economic development such as clean energy in the Texas Triangle.Item The effects of the Texas school property tax abatement program on public school finance(2016-05) Randall, Megan Ashley; Oden, Michael; Granof, Michael HThis report explores the relationship between school property tax abatements, property wealth, and industrial firm siting in Texas. Texas adopted its school property tax abatement program, known as Chapter 313, in 2001. This report employs a mixed-methods approach to evaluate the factors that predict districts’ participation in the Chapter 313 program in Texas, as well as to assess abatements’ effect on industrial firm investment. The study is modeled after an evaluation of the Indiana school property tax abatement program conducted by Dalehite in 2005. Using a quasi-experimental, propensity score matching research design, I find that industrial property wealth predicts abatement program participation throughout the lifespan of the program. A district’s donor status in the state’s redistributive school finance system as well as its urban status predict abatement program participation early in the program’s operation from 2003-2007. Lastly, I find no evidence of a relationship between abatement participation and growth in industrial property values. Findings suggest that some features of the Chapter 313 program may exacerbate inequity and confer a disproportionate share of benefits, such as payments-in-lieu of taxes and state aid subsidies, to property-wealthy districts. Moreover, the state is currently investing billions of dollars into the program without evidence that these investments produce the intended industrial property investment in Texas communities.Item Toward a comparative study of dependency and economic development: measurement and analysis(Texas Tech University, 1996-05) Farmer, Brian RussIn the investigation of the relationship between dependency and the physical quality of life (PQLI) in LDCs, it is possible that dependency may prove to be associated with lower PQLI, but not be a factor which perpetuates low PQLI. In other words, an observed association between dependency and low PQLI may very well be spurious, similar to the association between individual height and the height of siblings. Clearly, tall persons tend to have tall siblings, but the association is not causal and the reason for the relationship can be discovered elsewhere. To establish the direction of the causal arrow in the dependency/PQLI relationship, it is necessary to investigate the relationship between dependency and the growth or improvement of PQLI (Quality Improvement). If dependency proves to be associated with slower Quality Improvement, then the logical conclusion is that dependency is a phenomenon which perpetuates the lower QLI with which it is associated. If dependency is not related to slower Quality Improvement, then the reverse is logically correct, and dependency does not perpetuate or cause lower PQLI, but should then be viewed merely as a characteristic of states with lower PQLI; the causes of which are to be found elsewhere. As will be shown in this study, another omission in the empirical studies of dependency/inequality relationships is the failure to control for regime type. Abbas Pourgerami's (1991) empirical results suggest that democracy enjoys a complementary relationship with economic and political freedom, and, conversely, authoritarian regimes are more likely to "lead to situations in which some elite units enjoy progress and modernity, while the majority remain socio-economically impoverished and politically repressed" (Pourgerami, 1991, p. 136). In other words, inequality and PQLI in LDCs may be related to the internal factor of regime type as opposed to extemal dependency factors. Consequently, one would expect inequality to be less severe in democracies due to the ability of citizens to make demands on government, an ability which may exist to a lesser degree in authoritarian states.