Attracting retirees has been promoted as an economic development strategy for rural communities. Implicit in efforts to attract retirees is the assumption that retirees will continue to migrate at the same rate, bringing with them relatively high incomes and relatively low demands for services....

Devolution is an institutional issue with several dimensions-space, ownership, and time. Because it has a spatial dimension, regional scientists are well positioned to contribute to the devolution debate. The transition from public to private ownership can create incentives for corruption. To...

We assess the impact of an aging rural population using the Wisconsin Economic Impact Modeling System, a county-level conjoined input-output/ econometrics simulation model. Using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, we construct profiles of two household...

The impact of state tax and expenditure limitations (TELs) on bond credit ratings is estimated using an incomplete (or unbalanced) panel from the US states from 1973 to 2005. Three indices of the restrictiveness of TELs are used. Both Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s bond credit...

This is a personal view of regional science, which draws on my experiences and my training in both institutional economics and regional economics. I will start with some of those experiences and the questions they raised for me about the importance of institutions1 in regional development and...

Tax and expenditure limitations (TEL) on state and local governments have been passed with the presumption they will limit the growth of government, raise government efficiency, and increase direct democracy by requiring voter approval of tax increases. Both the popular press and the academic...