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To comprehensively model the macroeconomic impacts that result from changes in long-term energy-economy forecasts, the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) partnered with West Virginia University (WVU)'s Regional Research Institute to develop the NETL/WVU econometric input-output (ECIO) model. The NETL/WVU ECIO model is an impacts forecasting model that functions as an extension of the U.S. energy-economic models available from the U.S. Energy Information Administration's National Energy Modeling System (NEMS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Market Allocation (MARKAL) model. The ECIO model integrates a macroeconomic econometric forecasting model and an input-output accounting framework along derived forecast scenarios detailing a baseline of the U.S. energy-economy and an alternative forecast on how power generation resources can meet future levels of energy demand to generate estimates of the impacts to gross domestic product, employment, and labor income. This manuscript provides an overview of the model design, assumptions, and standard outputs. Keywords: Energy-Economy Forecasting, National Energy Modeling System, Input-Output Model, Econometric Model, 1. INTRODUCTION Decision makers involved in energy policy are facing unprecedented challenges arising from globalization, decarbonization, and the advent of new energy technologies. Since the early 1970s energy-economic forecasting models [...]

The authors report on the economic impacts of introducing woody biomass processing in an economically distressed, but heavily forested Central Appalachian U.S. region. Woody biomass is a readily available unconventional energy source that has the potential to boost the rural region's economy. They use a static regional computable general equilibrium model to assess long-run economic impacts of two woody biomass processing production pathways of biomass to ethanol through fermentation and biomass to biofuel through fast pyrolysis. While the 232 to 370 jobs and $13 million to $21 million income might seem small relative to the multicounty region, the localized impact on the county in which the facility would be sited, even for the direct jobs and income impacts, would be much more substantial. The authors conclude that woody biomass processing is a viable economic development option for the study area and similar rural regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses historical socioeconomic data to evaluate the elasticities of a Dendrinos-Sonis one-population/two-locations nonlinear dynamic comparative advantage model for determining subregional shares of aggregate regional forecasts. The fractal dimension [...]

Following initial geological assessments, Poland was identified as having one of the largest reserves of unconventional natural gas in the European Union. The Poles, seeking to diversify their energy sources, met the news with tremendous fanfare. However, shale gas development often requires voluminous speculative activity before the gas can be successfully extracted - an activity which has been rare in Poland, where a lack of critical infrastructure coupled with bureaucratic red tape in the permission process has led to slow growth in exploration activities. This article examines the current situation in Poland's unconventional gas and oil development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural and urban regions are interconnected and form one system. Changes in one region therefore also affect others. This is particularly true for a force as large and pervasive as urbanization which resulted in massive rural and urban economic restructuring and geographic realignment of rural–urban boundaries. Until the mid-twentieth century, rural could be considered the opposite of urban, but in the process of urbanization, economic and social structures of rural and urban regions became more similar. However, perceptions and attitudes often survive long after conditions that shaped them have changed. In this article, the authors explain why attention to proper definitions of rural and urban is important to policymaking and analysis. The authors use ideas, definitions, and empirical results based in large part on A. M. Isserman’s research to highlight the importance of his rural research and to honor his memory. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The most recent boom in fossil fuel extraction is noteworthy through its extensive use of advanced technologies called hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. The papers in this issue demonstrate the role that regional science can and should play in guiding policy, usefully complementing research from physical science and engineering disciplines that focuses on the important geological and environmental consequences of shale energy production. Furthermore, we underscore the need for expanding the traditional regional science focus in policy discussions pertaining to shale energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We estimate a regional spatial panel simultaneous-equations growth model, using a five-step new estimation strategy that generalizes an approach outlined in Kelejian and Prucha. The study region consists of the 418 Appalachian counties 1980−2000. Estimates show feedback simultaneities among the endogenous variables, conditional convergence with respect to the respective endogenous variables, and spatial autoregressive lag and spatial cross-regressive lag effects with respect to the endogenous variables. A key policy conclusion is that sector-specific programs should be integrated and harmonized and that regionally differentiated development policies may yield greater returns than treating all locations the same. Estimamos un modelo de crecimiento de panel espacial regional por ecuaciones simultaneas, utilizando una nueva estrategia de estimación de cinco pasos que generaliza una enfoque descrito en Kelejian y Prucha. La región de estudio comprende los 418 condados Apalaches 1980-2000. Las estimaciones muestran simultaneidades de retroalimentación entre las variables endógenas, convergencia condicional con respecto a las variables endógenas respectivas, y un retardo espacial autorregresivo y efectos de retardo regresivos cruzados espaciales con respecto a las variables endógenas. Una conclusión clave sobre políticas es que los programas sectoriales específicos deberían estar integrados y armonizados, y que las políticas de desarrollo diferenciadas regionalmente podrían producir mejores retornos que si se tratasen todas las localizaciones del mismo modo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because disciplines and their cores and boundaries are subject to change, a periodic introspective assessment can be useful in evaluating the relevance of a changing discipline to the equally dynamic and pressing needs of society. Similar examinations of other disciplines, notably economics, have been conducted in part as a means of minimizing the risks of declining credibility, policy relevance, and societal benefit. With the Southern Regional Science Association celebrating recently its 50th meeting, and as regional science itself approaches its 60th year, this paper provides a reexamination of the core of regional science. We consider the theoretical and methodological underpinnings and current status, the various roles played by space in various representations, and the values that guide our policy advice and recommendations. While cores and boundaries of regional science cannot be unambiguously identified, particularly due to the considerable overlap with and lineage to other disciplines, we conclude that it is precisely the interdisciplinarity of regional science that distinguishes it from other social sciences, and ensures its continued relevance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the occasion of the 50 anniversary of the SRSA, Jackson sums up what we regional scientists do and do not know at this stage in the field's development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports the authors’ efforts to construct a baseline input—output (IO) model with environmental accounts for use in modeling geographically specific e-waste recycling systems. The authors address conceptual and practical issues that arise when recyclable end-of-life (EOL) commodities and related activities are incorporated into the traditional IO model including: (1) shortcomings of existing industry and commodity accounts that do not explicitly represent recycling activities and recyclable EOL products; (2) accounting challenges related to flows of EOL products observed mainly in physical volumes; and (3) valuing EOL products whose transactions prices vary widely. These three issues complicate the incorporation of EOL commodities within the conventional IO framework. The authors present a way to record the transactions of EOL products in both physical and monetary terms in an IO model with environmental accounts. Specifically, the authors present the case of e-waste recycling for the Atlanta metropolitan area (AMA) with an empirically based hypothetical scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a recent resurgence of interest in biproportional adjustment methods for updating and interpreting change in matrix representations of regional structures, most commonly input-output accounts. Although the biproportional method, commonly called the RAS technique in the input-output literature, has been shown to have a number of theoretically appealing properties, various alternatives do exist. In this paper, we develop and empirically assess a number of alternatives, comparing performance and examining the attributes of these adjustment methods. Two of these are sign-preserving updating methods for use when tables contain both positive and negative entries. One of these is shown to generate less information gain than does a generalized RAS method that Junius & Oosterhaven (2003) formulated to deal with matrices with both positive and negative values. Overall, while the RAS method continues to be commonly used and its choice is often rational, alternative methods can perform as well or better along certain dimensions and in certain contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of public capital in the economy is an emerging research area with theoretical significance and societal and policy relevance. Several academic disciplines and public institutions are regular contributors to this research field. The range of findings o['these studies extends from virtually no role to a very strong role for public capital in the economy. Reconciling the varied and sometimes contradictory results has not been a high priority among researchers. The lack of attention to spatial forces, an issue gaining attention only relatively recently, also has been troublesome. This article reviews public capital research along, three primary dimensions: the dependent variable, scale of analysis, and attention to spatial processes. The authors emphasize scale and space as among the most important but least discussed differences among public capital studies and then focus on the nature of the economic processes at work and detectable at different scales of analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assesses public capital investment trends in Ohio to illustrate the correspondence between the distributions of infrastructure investment and the social/economic distress the investments are intended to alleviate. Definitions of equity and efficiency; Results indicating that equity and efficiency rates are highest in areas of greatest distresss.

Assesses the Table Disaggregation and Adjustment (TDA) technique for generating a synthetic set of base national accounts in the United States. Comparison between TDA and standard price-updating procedure; Assessment of TDA in the context of input-output table regionalization; Description of TDA.

Presents a probabilistic specification of coefficients in the input-output modeling framework. Identification of key industrial sectors, aggregation, and spatial variation in production; Role of the input-output accounting framework in the regional and interregional economic modeling literature; Distribution of indirect coefficients.

Presents a table disaggregation adjustment (TDA) method for analyzing input-output tables in regional economic models. Compilation of updates for intervening years; Base data generated through the TDA method which outperforms the aggregated annual update data; Implications of the TDA approach on regional economic mathematical analysis.

Provides a perspective on the effects of external economic ownership by conjoining an interindustry accounting framework with Dun and Bradstreet corporate ownership data. Application of the aggregate level measurement method to multicounty regions in Illinois; Relationship between measures of input-output dependence and indices of regional employment growth and stability.

Presents a method designed specifically to regionalize commodity-by-industry accounts, in the context of the United States reporting system. National commodity-industry framework; Regionalizing the national accounts; From accounts construction to modeling; Bureau of Economic Analysis data, classification scheme and special sectors; Non-comparable imports.

Assesses the utility of constant causative matrix methods for measuring, interpreting, and potentiality of forecasting structural economic change. Temporal matrix change; Interpretation of Causative matrix elements; Causative matrices and input-output analysis; Empirical example; Changes between 1977 and 1982 in the input-output structure of the national economy.

Features the software CAPCALC 85 of Roger Creighton Associates Inc. Speed of computer computations; Levels of service of at-grade signaled and unsignaled intersections; Capacity of the organized format.