John F. Brennan

What is a Central City in the United States? Applying a Statistical Technique for Developing Taxonomies

We test the null hypothesis that municipalities defined as central cities by the US Bureau of the Census in 1990 are homogeneous-a hypothesis we reject. Rather, we find that US central cities consist of 2 distinct subsets of municipalities that are aggregated from 13 cluster groupings. The article has two purposes. The first is methodological. We develop a method that uses cluster analysis to group US central cities; then we employ discriminant analysis to establish the statistical validity of those groups. We also develop techniques to minimise the role of judgement in selecting the appropriate cluster solution. The second purpose of the article is to test the substantive null hypothesis. Our rejection of the homogeneity assumption raises the spectre of specification error in research and public policies that assume homogeneity among central cities.

The impact of Depression-era Homeowners’ Loan Corporation lending in Greater Cleveland, Ohio

In this paper, I build on previous historical studies that have analyzed the lending activities of the Homeowners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC), a New Deal agency established in 1933 to mitigate the national mortgage foreclosure crisis caused by the economic fallout of the Great Depression. I investigate whether discriminatory lending practices took place in Greater Cleveland, Ohio. I also examine a second question related to the contemporaneous impact of HOLC lending: did lending actually decrease Depression-era foreclosure rates in areas of significant lending activity? Census tract-level ordinary least squares, two-stage least squares, and spatial regression models are estimated to answer these questions. While studies of the HOLC in other cities (including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Chicago) have attempted to assess the possibility of discriminatory lending outcomes, their findings have remained inconclusive. In addition, previous studies have not assessed the HOLC’s practical success, especially in terms of foreclosure amelioration. I use extensive historical evidence, in conjunction with appropriate tools of empirical analysis, to explore the evidence that the HOLC’s lending practices were discriminatory in Cleveland and that the practical effect of the HOLC lending was nonexistent. Additionally, in areas of high HOLC lending concentrations for the years 1933–1935 (the years of its operation), there was no significant reduction in relative foreclosure rates in subsequent years (1936 and 1937).

Considering the Role of Social Capital for Economic Development Outcomes in U.S. Counties

The authors examine major aspects of the connection between social capital and economic development in U.S. counties. They test the conclusions of Putnam, who saw associations as a force for positive development, and Olson, who concluded the opposite. The authors find that Putnam organizations have a negative effect on income, while Olson organizations have a positive effect by decreasing levels of income inequality. Drawing on the literature distinguishing between bridging versus bonding, the authors show that bridging capital has a positive effect on development by increasing per capita income, while bonding capital has a neutral effect on both per capita income and income inequality. Finally, religious variables are tested for their relationship with economic development. Overall, congregation density has a negative influence by increasing per capita income and income inequality, controlling for geographic type. Congregations with bridging characteristics have a mixed effect on development by decreasing income and decreasing inequality.

Assembling the Puzzle of the Nonprofit-Economic Development Linkage

Abstract This study seeks to quantify the impact of the nonprofit sector on economic development by more clearly defining the diverse roles that nonprofits may play in development – instrumental, expressive, and connective. We begin by summarizing existing research on nonprofit organizations and economic development. Using secondary data, we test our model in 360 U.S. metropolitan areas for the years 2001–2006. Do nonprofit organizations produce economic growth? Our statistical findings suggest, “Not really” and “It depends.” While some forms of nonprofit organizations (business associations) are positively related to growth, others such as congregations and social and fraternal associations may have a dampening effect. Overall, our findings suggest complex relationships between individual forms of capital, organizational structures, and development that may be place and time dependent. While our findings currently provide little guidance for policy makers attempting to promote economic development, our findings do have important implications for nonprofit and public policy scholars. Any attempt to explore the relationship between nonprofit activity and development must untangle indicators of individual behavior (church attendance or census return rates) from indicators of organizational structures (such as the number of specific organizations). Second, any effort to understand the impact of the nonprofit sector should disaggregate sector measures based upon a conceptual understanding of the diverse roles of various organizational types (for example, human service organizations versus social and fraternal organizations). Finally, growth and development and the role of the sector are contextual, exhibiting significant regional and temporal variation.

Contingent Valuation and Estimates of Residents’ Support for Revitalization Plans A Better Tool for Public Officials?

Revitalization efforts often require some commitment of tax dollars for the costs of the related-development projects. Elected and appointed officials often need to gauge support for these investments if electoral approval is required. Contingent valuation surveys can be a precise tool to understand support and concern among different groups of residents. This study illustrates a refined methodology and method for looking at the value placed on a new town center and the required public investment. The results illustrate that there is a considerable base of support for the plan and its financing, but officials would also need to implement an identified strategy to insure electoral support from a majority of residents.

Pragmatism, The New Republic, and American Public Administration at Its Founding:

We argue that philosophical pragmatism explicitly influenced the founding of American public administration. We analyze the case of The New Republic magazine to support our contention. The New Republic was founded in 1914 and edited by two pragmatists—Herbert Croly and Walter Lippmann—and put forth a pragmatic editorial stance that supported administrative innovations in American government that characterized the era. We illustrate the magazine’s pragmatic orientation toward public administration by analyzing the editorials of Croly and Lippmann and the writings of John Dewey, Frederick Cleveland, and Charles Beard—all written during the magazine’s first decade of publication.