Regional science is turning 40. Once the harbinger of a person's imminent death, becoming 40 now ushers in a period of apprehension and reflection-the mid-life crisis. It is a time to confront the dreams of youth, take stock of the present, ponder the path that led from there to here, and...

Missing data frustrate research and limit our understanding of regional economies. County Business Patterns annually provides employment data for all U.S. counties and states at the most detailed industrial level, but two out of every three employment statistics are missing. In rural areas, this...

Researchers and policy makers depend on two federal systems when defining urban and rural. One, designed by the U.S. Census Bureau, separates the territory of the nation into urban and rural. Its intent is to differentiate urban and rural. The other, designed under the leadership of the Office...

Four methods of estimating exports are widely used in regional analysis, particularly with the economic base model. The theoretical rationales for each are examined. An interpretation of the minimum requirement method is offered which solves the oft-noted, non-importation problem. The difference...

The states have taken an increasingly active role in economic development policy during the past two decades. This article presents both a comprehensive overview of the state strategies and a statistical overview of the changing economic conditions from which they arise. The strategies can be...

Rural North America has undergone a major economic transformation over the past century due to labor-saving technological progress, reductions in transport costs, and rising household incomes. The results are greater rural economic diversity, selected rural population decline, increased...

This comprehensive paper examines the roots and dreams of early regional science, focusing on its scholarly association, its concepts of science and region, and its claim to be a separate discipline. Regional science never became a science or a discipline, and it has had a peculiar relationship...

William Alonso was awarded the first Ph.D. in regional science. The book based on his dissertation is often credited with launching the field of urban economics and remains probably the most cited work by far in regional science. Saltonstall Professor of Population Policy at Harvard, Alonso also...

Judging by statistics from the past half-century, rural America will continue to grow faster than urban America. The spread of large cities, the creation of new ones, the addition of 30 million more senior citizens, and the diffusion of immigrants into rural areas are powerful forces...