Anil Rupasingha

SOCIAL CAPITAL AND ECONOMIC GROWTH: A COUNTY-LEVEL ANALYSIS

The effect of social capital on economic growth is examined using linear regression analysis and U.S. county-level data. Results reveal that social capital has a statistically significant, independent positive effect on the rate of per-capita income growth.

County Amenities and Net Migration

U.S. county-level net migration data and a general spatial model are used to examine the effects of various amenities on migration decisions. Results suggest that higher county cancer risks and the presence of superfund sites in a county, or a higher ranking on the Environmental Protection Agencys hazard ranking system, reduce the relative attractiveness of a county to prospective migrants, while natural amenities on balance attract migrants, ceteris paribus. The results also reveal spatial dependence among contiguous counties in terms of net migration behavior.

The Economic Impacts of Self-Employment

Even as self-employment continues to increase, policymakers remain largely unaware of this trend and fail to see it as an opportunity for addressing enduring joblessness. In part, this is explained by limited data on the self-employed and by widespread perceptions that returns to self-employment are low; that the self-employed are merely patching together piecemeal work opportunities requiring limited skills; and that there are no local economic impacts or spillover benefits into other sectors. Contrary to these perceptions, recent studies suggest that self-employment has tangible positive economic impacts not only on wage and salary employment but also on per capita income growth and poverty reduction. This article synthesizes the pertinent emerging literature and assesses dynamics of the lags involved between self-employment shocks and subsequent employment growth.

The Returns on Higher Education: Estimates for the 48 Contiguous States:

Governors of a number of states are seeking to expand the proportion of workers with college degrees so that their economies do not fall behind in the new economy. How- ever, because of pronounced differences in the compositions and levels of development of state economies, returns on higher education are far from equal across the states. We estimate the average return on a college degree in each state in terms of its effect on per capita income, holding constant other factors that also influence levels of per capita income.

The Determinants of Self-Employment Growth Insights From County-Level Data, 2000-2009

The sustained surge in self-employment since 2000 has largely gone unnoticed by policy makers and economic developers. Here the authors document this surge and identify variables associated with expanding self-employment. Results provide mixed evidence about the importance of capital access to self-employment growth, but reveal that different approaches are needed in different county types depending on their proximity to metro areas and population size, if the goal is to increase future rural self-employment rates. In all county types, the initial share of self-employed predicts self-employment growth, underscoring the importance of a culture favoring entrepreneurship and path dependence. Self-employment earnings and educational attainment also play significant roles, as does the ethnic diversity of the population. Population density matters in both rural and urban counties, but less so within individual rural–urban continuum code categories. State policy, especially labor market freedom, has important effects on self-employment in most county types and periods studied.