Tag: P48

DOES EUROPEAN UNION MEMBERSHIP RESULT IN QUALITY-OF-LIFE CONVERGENCE?

Joel I. DEICHMANN*¹

Professor of Global Studies

jdeichmann@bentley.edu

Dominique HAUGHTON¹

Professor of Mathematical Sciences

dhaughton@bentley.edu

Mingfei LI¹

Professor of Mathematical Sciences

mli@bentley.edu

Heyao WANG¹

Graduate Research Assistant

wang_heya@bentley.edu

*Corresponding Author

¹Members of the Data Analytic Research Team (DART)

Bentley University Waltham, MA 02452 USA

Abstract

This paper employs European Quality-of-life Survey (EQLS) responses from 2003, 2008, 2012, and 2016 to examine whether European Union (EU) enlargement helps meet the objectives of improved living standards and overall quality-of-life across the continent. The data set includes responses to forty questions across nine dimensions for all twenty-eight pre-Brexit EU member states, along with eight non-member states. Insights are captured through the systematic comparison of self-reported perceptions pooled at the country level before and after accession, as well as between member states and non-member states. Special attention is paid to the eleven post-communist countries that joined the EU in 2004, 2007, and 2013, which together represent the addition of one hundred million EU citizens. These include Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Croatia. Based upon these findings, the paper concludes with speculation upon popular support for further enlargement in the wake of the 2007-08 Global Financial Crisis, the 2016-2020 Brexit process, and ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: European Union, Central and Eastern Europe, economic integration, European convergence

JEL classification: O10, O47, P20, P48, R11

 pp. 31-46

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SHALE INDUSTRY’S ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION IN OHIO, USA: IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE ACTIVITY IN THE STATE

Gilbert MICHAUD

PhD. Assistant Professor of Practice, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, United States of America

michaudg@ohio.edu

Abstract

Ohio’s shale industry serves as a significant facet of the state’s economy, employing nearly 150,000 and contributing over $22 billion of positive impacts as of 2015.  With advancements in hydraulic fracturing techniques, and access to the Marcellus and Utica shale plays in the eastern part of the state, Ohio has noteworthy potential for future shale development despite anecdotal discussion of a potential bust of the industry.  This research employed a multi-industry economic contribution analysis using IMPLAN and an input-output methodology with 2015 data to quantify the economic contribution of the shale industry across the entire State of Ohio, as well as a 26-county Appalachian Ohio region where most shale extraction activity is taking place.  Strong economic impact metrics are found for shale activity, including robust multiplier effects relative to other industries in the state.  Out of the six modeled shale-related sectors, Pipeline Transportation, by far, pays the highest wages.  Further, in order, the top five counties by total economic contribution per capita are Noble, Monroe, Belmont, Guernsey, and Washington.  In fact, roughly 90% of the gross regional product in Monroe and Noble counties is attributable to the shale industry.  With these findings, economic development and policy implications are highlighted, which are important as no other shale-play region in the U.S. is so disproportionally affected by resource extraction which contributes to regional poverty and negative pollution effects.  Retaining wealth in this region with the legacy of boom-and-bust resource extraction is ever important, and this paper provides a baseline for analysis when looking how the shale industry changes over time.

Keywords: Energy, Natural Resources, Rural Economics, Resource Policy

JEL classification: J68, O13, P48
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