The Effects of Infrastructure on Regional Economic Performance: US STATES vs METROPOLITAN AREAS

This study explores the relationship of highway infrastructure and regional economic growth using a labor market model of net migration. Typical net migration model is revised adding variables of demand and supply indicators of highway infrastructure and tested at the U.S. state- and metropolitan areas. This study found positive effects of highway infrastructure on state economic performance; both, the highway services demand indicator and the highway supply indicator performed as expected. Elasticity of net in-migration with respect to the per capita lanemiles of supply measure was between 0.129 and 0.454 and the elasticity with respect to vehicle-miles-traveled per lanemile of congestion measure was between - 0.511 and -0.015. The effects of the highway indicators are, however, weak at the MSA-level analysis, suggesting that highway infrastructure benefits spill over metro area boundaries and are experienced at a wider geographic scale.

• | Author: Soojung Kim
• | Publisher: VDM Verlag Dr. Mueller E.K.
• | Publication Date: Sep 25, 2008
• | Number of Pages: 96 pages
• | Binding: Paperback or Softback
• | ISBN-10: 3639038444
• | ISBN-13: 9783639038446