The role of economic diversity in regional stability and growth is examined. Contrary to "conventional wisdom" the empirical literature has been unable to confirm the link between diversity and economic performance. Traditional notions of diversity tend to be defined narrowly, usually...

Economic diversity has been promoted as a means to achieve the goals of stability and growth. However, the link between diversity, diversification and economic performance depends on the differences, both conceptually and empirically, between diversity and diversification. Unfortunately, the...

Diameter-limit cutting of stands in the US northeast is a common practice often thought to give the landowner the highest financial returns. A landowner's decision to diameter-limit cut or use some other harvesting option on a given stand involves examining mutually exclusive investments....

Choices in production and contracting arrangements for a wide range of services were studied using data from approximately 1,000 small, mostly rural municipalities from Illinois, New Hampshire and Wisconsin. Results suggest the use of both for-profit contractors and cooperative agreements with...

The ability to measure the economic importance of cooperatives to communities is not purely an academic question. Policy makers, cooperative organizations, and community development practitioners are increasingly asking for such information. The most commonly used methodology is input-output...

A structural model of regional economic growth is estimated using data for 2243 rural U.S. counties. Five indices designed to capture specific amenity and quality of life characteristics are constructed using fifty-four separate indicators. Results suggest that amenity characteristics can be...