In the search for explanations of persistent differences in economic growth rates, the conditional convergence growth model has introduced the possibility of incorporating a wide set of factors as determinants of growth. Controlling for spatial dependence, we assess the contribution of...

The authors of a recent Brookings report argue that Pennsylvania’s lackluster economic performance, including a high rate of loss of young residents (age 25-34), is partly due to fragmented local units of government hindering comprehensive and regional approaches to stimulating economic...

"Most agricultural production is of commodity or undifferentiated products. Producers suffer from a roller-coaster ride of price swings, over- or under-production, weather and pest threats, and the inability of family famers to capture anything beyond a small percentage of the final price....

If the average real income of the an American citizen had grown at a rate of 2% over the last 30 years, rather than actual 1%, it would have increased current per capita income by roughly 34%. For the period of 1970 to 2000, the annual per capita income growth rates for the counties of the...

This dissertation consists of three essays in the field of environmental economics. The essays address issues in the economics of environmental investments under uncertainty, adaptation to climate change, and information in environmental management. The unifying theme across the three essays is...