The Impact of Main Street Revitalization on the Economic Vitality of Small-Town Business Districts

2021 ◽  
pp. 089124242110380
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Van Leuven

The Main Street Program is a popular smaller-scale economic development strategy used to revitalize historic town centers across the rural United States. In this article, a difference-in-differences design using longitudinal business establishment data is implemented to estimate the program’s causal impact on job and establishment growth in downtown retail districts. Using a pooled sample of four Midwest states, the author found no significant effect of Main Street Program adoption on downtown jobs or establishments. However, for each individual state, a substantial degree of structural heterogeneity across states exists. Iowa emerges as a state where the Main Street Program appears to yield its hypothesized economic benefits to the downtown business districts of participating communities. These findings suggest that Main Street Program participation effects are not generalizable across states and that implementation and local context matter.

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 486
Author(s):  
Mai Phuong Nguyen ◽  
Philippe Vaast ◽  
Tim Pagella ◽  
Fergus Sinclair

In recent decades in northwest Vietnam, Arabica coffee has been grown on sloping land in intensive, full sun monocultures that are not sustainable in the long term and have negative environmental impacts. There is an urgent need to reverse this negative trend by promoting good agricultural practices, including agroforestry, to prevent further deforestation and soil erosion on slopes. A survey of 124 farmers from three indigenous groups was conducted in northwest Vietnam to document coffee agroforestry practices and the ecosystem services associated with different tree species used in them. Trees were ranked according to the main ecosystem services and disservices considered to be locally relevant by rural communities. Our results show that tree species richness in agroforestry plots was much higher for coffee compared to non-coffee plots, including those with annual crops and tree plantations. Most farmers were aware of the benefits of trees for soil improvement, shelter (from wind and frost), and the provision of shade and mulch. In contrast, farmers had limited knowledge of the impact of trees on coffee quality and other interactions amongst trees and coffee. Farmers ranked the leguminous tree species Leucaena leucocephala as the best for incorporating in coffee plots because of the services it provides to coffee. Nonetheless, the farmers’ selection of tree species to combine with coffee was highly influenced by economic benefits provided, especially by intercropped fruit trees, which was influenced by market access, determined by the proximity of farms to a main road. The findings from this research will help local extension institutions and farmers select appropriate tree species that suit the local context and that match household needs and constraints, thereby facilitating the transition to a more sustainable and climate-smart coffee production practice.


Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zene Combrinck ◽  
Elizelle Juanee Cilliers ◽  
Louis Lategan ◽  
Sarel Cilliers

Nature is essential to urban quality of life, yet green spaces are under pressure. In an attempt to strengthen the case for urban greening and to reclaim nature into cities, this research considered green spaces from an economic spatial perspective. The proximity principle, as part of hedonic price analysis, is employed to determine the impact of green spaces on property value in specifically selected residential areas within Potchefstroom, South Africa. Our statistical analysis indicated a rejection of the proximity principle in some areas, contradicting internationally accepted theory. To investigate local trends and possible reasons for the rejection, supporting quantitative data was gathered through structured questionnaires disseminated to local residents of Potchefstroom and Professional Planners in South Africa. Challenges pertaining to the planning of green spaces were emphasised, despite residents’ willingness to pay more for such green spaces in close proximity to residential areas, according to the cross-tabulations conducted. The research results contributed to the discourse on the economic benefits of green spaces and presented the trends of such benefits within the local context of Potchefstroom. The results emphasised the need to rethink the planning of green spaces within the local context, and provided recommendations on how to reclaim nature into cities from a spatial planning perspective.


The university is considered one of the engines of growth in a local economy or its market area, since its direct contributions consist of 1) employment of faculty and staff, 2) services to students, and supply chain links vendors, all of which define the University’s Market area. Indirect contributions consist of those agents associated with the university in terms of community and civic events. Each of these activities represent economic benefits to their host communities and can be classified as the economic impact a university has on its local economy and whose spatial market area includes each of the above agents. In addition are the critical links to the University, which can be considered part of its Demand and Supply chain. This paper contributes to the field of Public/Private Impact Analysis, which is used to substantiate the social and economic benefits of cooperating for economic resources. We use Census data on Output of Goods and Services, Labor Income on Salaries, Wages and Benefits, Indirect State and Local Taxes, Property Tax Revenue, Population, and Inter-Industry to measure economic impact (Implan, 2016).


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 244-261
Author(s):  
Mariola Tracz ◽  
Małgorzata Bajgier-Kowalska ◽  
Radosław Uliszak

Podkarpackie Voivodeship is one of the regions of Poland in which the number of agritourism entities is very high. Therefore tourism plays a significant role in its development strategy. The aim of the paper is to identify the current state of agritourism and the changes that have occurred in the region in the years 2000–2016. Specific objectives are to determine the distribution of agritourism farms and their offer, together with a comprehensive analysis of the environmental and socio-economic factors, as well as the impact of the Slovak-Ukrainian border. The report was developed on the statistical materials from the Polish Central Statistical Office, Podkarpackie Agricultural Advisory Centre in Boguchwała and data collected from municipalities and district offices that is published on their websites, as well as through interviews with 100 owners of agritourism farms in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship. The research has shown, on the one hand, the decline in the number of farms in the region and, on the other hand, the increase in the diversity of the tourist offer of these entities. Distribution of agritourism farms is closely linked to the attractiveness of natural environment and quality of secondary tourism resources. Traditional agritourism has not yet fully used its countryside, as well as cross-border advantages of its location.


Author(s):  
Larisa Dmitrievna Popovich ◽  
Svetlana Valentinovna Svetlichnaya ◽  
Aleksandr Alekseevich Moiseev

Diabetes – a disease in which the effect of the treatment substantially depends on the patient. Known a study showed that the use of glucometers with the technology of three-color display of test results facilitates self-monitoring of blood sugar and leads to a decrease in glycated hemoglobin (HbAlc). Purpose of the study: to modeling the impact of using of a glucometer with a color-coded display on the clinical outcomes of diabetes mellitus and calculating, the potential economic benefits of reducing the hospitalization rate of patients with diabetes. Material and methods. Based on data from two studies (O. Schnell et al. and M. Baxter et al.) simulation of the reduction in the number of complications with the use of a glucometer with a color indication. In a study by O. Schnell et al. a decrease of HbA1c by 0.69 percent is shown when using the considered type of glucometers, which was the basis of the model. Results. In the model, the use of a glucometer with a color-coded display for type 1 diabetes led to a decrease in the total number of complications by 9.2 thousand over 5 years per a cohort of 40 thousand patients with different initial levels of HbA1c. In a cohort of 40 thousand patients with type 2 diabetes, the simulated number of prevented complications was 1.7 thousand over 5 years. When extrapolating these data to all patients with diabetes included in the federal register of diabetes mellitus (FRD), the number of prevented complications was 55.4 thousand cases for type 1 diabetes and 67.1 thousand cases for type 2 diabetes. The possible economic effect from the use of the device by all patients with a diagnosis of diabetes, which are included in the FRD, estimated at 1.5 billion rubles for a cohort of patients with type 1 diabetes and 5.3 billion rubles for patients with type 2 diabetes. Conclusion. Improving the effectiveness of self-monitoring, which is the result of the use of glucometers with color indicators, can potentially significantly reduce the incidence of complications in diabetes and thereby provide significant economic benefits to society.


Author(s):  
Maryna Khmara

The peculiarities of gemstone market functioning under the impact of globalization are examined. Modern condition of financial stabilization in world is defined and main features of gemstones are outlined. Negative impact of illegal market on socio-economic development of countries, namely on revenues to the country’s budget from the business, is revealed. The importance of the problem of transferring most of gemstones processing operations beyond the countries of production is emphasized. Poor public control over the circulation of precious stones is proven. The challenges are substantiated to be aggravating under the impact of globalization. The diamonds market, which has peculiar high demand, is analyzed: diamonds and derivatives account for 85% of global turnover. Application of managerial strategies for gemstones market to efficiently use resources is defined to be complicated by the fact that managerial strategies impact the high cost of product items and its variability; unique features; intangible qualities; complicated processing. More environmentally friendly production and social responsibility are confirmed to have impact on forming of demand on gemstones. Investment attractiveness of gemstones, except for diamonds, is proven to be low. Condition of production and consumption of diamonds is analyzed. Development condition of the market segment – non-diamonds gemstones – is shown. The activity of small enterprises and households engaged in gemstones production is confirmed to be characterized by chaotic and complicated nature of broker networks, leading to aggravated global challenges. The paper defines that expansion of spectrum and emergence of new opportunities for illegal activity, reduced income and loss of other types of economic benefits, growing negative ecological and social impact, growing exploitation of workers at illegal enterprises remain to be the global challenges of gemstones market functioning. The author suggests increasing of social and ecological responsibility of business, strengthening of the state regulating functions and promotion of gemstones market legalization in order to reduce the challenges.


Author(s):  
Eris D Schoburgh

Local development, whether construed broadly as community development or more narrowly as local as economic development (LED) is not always associated with local government but rather is the purview of a central government department or agency in Anglophone Caribbean policy systems. However with the emergence of ‘local place - and people-oriented approaches’ to development that offer new propositions about how to respond to risks and opportunities brought by globalization, local government is seen increasingly as an appropriate institutional context in which to pursue short-range objectives, such as creation of market opportunities and redressing the disparities within national economies; as well as the long-range goal of social transformation. A developmental role for local government raises two questions that form the central concerns of this paper: What are the institutional and organisational imperatives of a developmental role for local government? To what extent have these imperatives been addressed in reform? A critical analysis of local government reform policies in Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica revealed substantive convergence around local development as an outcome of reform but also important divergence in the approach to achieving this goal which suggests the absence of a cohesive model. The paper argues for a new agenda in reform that links local government more consistently with a local development strategy. It asserts that such a strategy must incorporate gender equality, the informal economy and institutional organisational capacity in the process of transformation and as a basis for creating a local context in which all types of resources can be maximized in the process of wealth creation in a locality.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 878 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliwia Pietrzak ◽  
Krystian Pietrzak

This paper focuses on effects of implementing zero-emission buses in public transport fleets in urban areas in the context of electromobility assumptions. It fills the literature gap in the area of research on the impact of the energy mix of a given country on the issues raised in this article. The main purpose of this paper is to identify and analyse economic effects of implementing zero-emission buses in public transport in cities. The research area was the city of Szczecin, Poland. The research study was completed using the following research methods: literature review, document analysis (legal acts and internal documents), case study, ratio analysis, and comparative analysis of selected variants (investment variant and base variant). The conducted research study has shown that economic benefits resulting from implementing zero-emission buses in an urban transport fleet are limited by the current energy mix structure of the given country. An unfavourable energy mix may lead to increased emissions of SO2 and CO2 resulting from operation of this kind of vehicle. Therefore, achieving full effects in the field of electromobility in the given country depends on taking concurrent actions in order to diversify the power generation sources, and in particular on increasing the share of Renewable Energy Sources (RES).


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7150
Author(s):  
Silvia Cerisola ◽  
Elisa Panzera

Following the hype that has been given to culture and creativity as triggers and enhancers of local economic performance in the last 20 years, this work originally contributes to the literature with the objective of assessing the impact of cultural and creative cities (CCCs) on the economic output of their regions. In this sense, the cultural and creative character of cities is considered a strategic strength and opportunity that can spillover, favoring the economic system of the entire regions in which the cities are located. Through an innovative methodology that exploits a regional production function estimated by a panel fixed effects model, the effect of cities’ cultural vibrancy and creative economy on the output of their regions is econometrically explored. The data source is the Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor (CCCM) provided by the JRC, which also allows the investigation of the possible role played by the enabling environment in catalyzing the action of cultural vibrancy and creative economy. The results are thoroughly examined: especially through cultural vibrancy, CCCs strategically support the output of their region. This is particularly the case when local context conditions—such as human capital and education, openness, tolerance and trust, and quality of governance—catalyze their effect. Overall, CCCs contribute to feeding a long-term self-supporting system, interpreted according to a holistic conception that includes economic, social, cultural, and environmental domains.


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