The role of government in the economy, nationally down to the local level, has evolved over the years. Historically, government involvement in the economy was frowned-upon and highly circumscribed. Over the years, rules emerged that guided governments’ roles. This essay discusses the...

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With the passage of the federal stimulus bill and the proposal of an infrastructure bonding plan in Iowa to address the state’s looming infrastructure needs, there have also been many announcements from state and federal elected officials about the job impacts that the state will expect.  The...

Many communities are trying to shore up their local economies. One strategy is to work with local industries and with households to increase the amount of purchases that they make from local suppliers of goods and services. This import substitution strategy can yield measurable and significant...

This is an evaluation of the statewide total economic value of state-funded higher education in Iowa.  The analysis is based on Fiscal Year 2010 final budgeted values for Iowa’s three Board of Regents universities and their teaching hospital, as well as the state’s 15 community...

In light of tight state fiscal accounts, increased competition among all government service providers for scarce resources, and a poorly performing national economy, public universities are under increasing pressure to demonstrate their worth to regional or statewide economies.  This has...

This is Chapter 6 in the state-mandated Regent's institution collaborative report, "Climate Change Impacts on Iowa, 2010: Report to the Governor and the Iowa General Assembly."Iowa's climate is changing, and that means Iowa's economy is changing.  A changing Iowa economy will have consequences...

This paper looks at practical limits to local foods production and consumption in the Upper Midwest.  It presumes that local foods production makes the most sense, and has the greatest profit potential, in relatively close proximity to dense urban demand.  The research demonstrates methods for...

This analysis measures the economic value of Iowa’s public universities – The University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and the University of Northern Iowa.  There are two dimensions evaluated: the overall worth of operating the universities as educational and service...