Small Community Level Social Accounting Matrices and their Application to Determining Marine Resource Dependency

Abstract

Social accounting matrices (SAMs) are constructed for two communities on the West Coast which have previously been classified as natural resource dependent; Westport, Washington and Newport, Oregon. The SAMs are constructed in an innovative way that allows for the economic dependency and utilization of natural resources, especially marine resources, to be examined in detail. The SAM utilizes data from a mix of publically available secondary sources and data collected directly from local governments. The SAMs are then subjected to an economic base analysis to develop indices of economic dependence. The results of this study indicate that while fishing and fish processing are no longer a major source of gross measures of output, employment, wages, or gross regional product (GRP) in any state or even county on the West Coast; from an economic export income perspective cities such as Westport, Washington are heavily dependent on these industries for their economic base.Marine resource dependency, social accounting matrix, economic base, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Environmental Economics and Policy, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, R11, R15, Q22,