Ethanol: Implications for Rural Communities

This paper presents an overview of the U.S. ethanol industry, its location, and the public policy umbrella that supports its growth. Then the paper analyzes what happens when a county adds an ethanol plant, demonstrates what must be done to modify input-output models to capture those effects realistically, and applies the approach to proposed plants in three counties.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

External Ownership and Bank Lending Behavior: Empirical Evidence Using Control Group Methods

As banking systems have become more integrated on both the international and national scales, banks in peripheral regions have been purchased by larger banks headquartered outside those regions. These externally controlled banks allegedly siphon funds from the regions by taking deposits but curtailing their lending activity. Such a practice would retard regional economic development efforts by making it more difficult for local businesses and residents to obtain commercial and industrial loans

The Long Exception: Rethinking the Place of the New Deal in American History

The Long Exception examines the period from Franklin Roosevelt to the end of the twentieth century and argues that the New Deal was more of an historical aberration—a byproduct of the massive crisis of the Great Depression—than the linear triumph of the welfare state. The depth of the Depression undoubtedly forced the realignment of American politics and class relations for decades, but, it is argued, there is more continuity in American politics between the periods before the New Deal order and those after its decline than there is between the postwar era and the rest of American history. Indeed, by the early seventies the arc of American history had fallen back upon itself. While liberals of the seventies and eighties waited for a return to what they regarded as the normality of the New Deal order, they were actually living in the final days of what Paul Krugman later called the interregnum between Gilded Ages. The article examines four central themes in building this argument: race, religion, class, and individualism

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

Some policy implications of spatial variations in fuel consumption by manufacturing activities

Paper presented at the Western Economics Association meetings, June 26, 1976.Bibliography: leaf 19

Intellectual leaders of regional science: A half-century citation study

On the basis of citations to articles in regional science journals, this study identifies the most influential scholars in the field during various periods of its first-half century. It distinguishes among the pioneering generation who wrote its formative pieces, the generations who expanded its boundaries, and the current generation whose work is shaping the field and giving it direction. Useful insights into the nature of regional science flow from key facts about its intellectual leaders, including their disciplinary affiliations, periods of active research, and cited work outside the regional science journals. The article also discusses problems with the citation data and limitations of citation studies. Copyright Springer-Verlag Berlin/Heidelberg 2003Regional science, citation studies,

Getting State Rural Policy Right: Definitions, Growth, and Program Eligibility

We often use the term rural very loosely when discussing public policy. Rarely do we describe explicitly the kinds of places we have in mind for particular programs and craft precise eligibility requirements that deliver the programs to those places without expensive leakages to other, unintended beneficiaries. Yet, whether state policies directed toward rural people and places are appropriate and effective depends on how places are selected for inclusion or exclusion. Furthermore, how we understand rural conditions and the policy context depends on the definitions we use. Floating about are definitions of rural so varied that anywhere from 58% of the U.S. population to a mere 2% is in rural areas, and both these extremes are based on federal statistical categories. I draw your attention to three facts and three policy recommendations : (1) Fact: A very common way of defining rural ignores the majority of rural people. Recommendation : Pay attention to defining rural so that state policies and programs reach the people and places you intend them to serve. (2) Fact: Most rural people live in growing counties, although hundreds of rural counties are declining in population. Recommendation : Recognize the great diversity of rural policy contexts and that growth, not decline, is the most common policy context for rural people. (3) Fact: Program eligibility rules vary greatly. Recommendation : Craft program eligibility rules that recognize the goals of specific programs, the unique geographic landscape of the state, and its evolving blend of cities, towns, and countryside