Abstract
With unemployment rates on the rise, the American states are relying on alternate routes to create jobs at home. In order to create growth, states are implementing economic development programs at a rising rate. This study identifies three categories of policy that state goverments invest in: entrepreneurial strategies, locational strategies, and infrastructure investment. But do these policies actually produce economic growth in the form of jobs? Which types of policy are best suited to influence growth? A consensual view has not been reached by the political science community. Authors of policy literature on the subject have found mixed results in econometric studies. This study uses OLS regression to examine the impact of these policies during the twelve year period from 1983-1994. It was found that state economic policies had a marginal effect on state unemployment effects. One type of policy, entrepreneurial strategies provided the only promising positive relation between growth.
Advisor
Lewis, Arnold C.
Department
Political Science
Recommended Citation
Reiser, Douglas S., "Putting the States Back to Work: An Examination of State Economic Policies and Their Effect on Employment" (2004). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 3672.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/3672
Publication Date
2004
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2004 Douglas S. Reiser