Does Agriculture Generate Local Economic Spillovers? Short-Run and Long-Run Evidence from the Ogallala Aquifer
- (pp. 192-213)
Abstract
Agriculture may support the local nonagricultural economy in rural areas, though agricultural expansion may also crowd-out nonagricultural activity. On the United States Plains, areas over the Ogallala aquifer experienced windfall agricultural gains when post WWII technologies increased farmers' access to groundwater. Comparing counties over the Ogallala with similar counties, nonagricultural sectors experienced only short-run relative benefits. Despite substantial and persistent agricultural gains, there was no long run relative expansion of nonagricultural sectors in Ogallala counties. Agricultural development may still encourage regional or national nonagricultural development, but agriculture does not appear to generate local economic spillovers that differentially encourage local nonagricultural activity. (JEL Q12, Q15, Q18, Q25, R11)Citation
Hornbeck, Richard, and Pinar Keskin. 2015. "Does Agriculture Generate Local Economic Spillovers? Short-Run and Long-Run Evidence from the Ogallala Aquifer." American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 7 (2): 192-213. DOI: 10.1257/pol.20130077Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- Q12 Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets
- Q15 Land Ownership and Tenure; Land Reform; Land Use; Irrigation; Agriculture and Environment
- Q18 Agricultural Policy; Food Policy
- Q25 Renewable Resources and Conservation: Water
- R11 Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
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