Publications

Virginia's aging population is going to present many challenges because of a diversity of  health and economic needs. But an increase in the elderly can also offer great potential for improving community life.

Every 10 years, a new U.S. census sets the stage for a round of political redistricting in Virginia and the nation. It also brings the likelihood that the boundaries of some newly drawn voting districts will be manipulated in an obvious effort to benefit one political party. This popular but unfair practice is called gerrymandering.

Virginia would benefit from a sound statewide property tax relief policy, according to a News Letter article by John H. Bowman, emeritus professor of economics at Virginia Commonwealth University and authority on public finance. In his view, well-designed property tax relief may be more crucial than ever for people squeezed by reduced income during this recession.

Community colleges are an important and growing segment of the U.S. higher education market. However, few ex post studies of their local economic development impacts are available. This paper presents a quasi-experimental control group analysis of a group of twenty-one counties where community colleges were established during the 1970s and 1980s.

In the face of an alarming economic downturn, transportation more than ever ranks among the state's most critical problems, according to an analysis by Alan E. Pisarski, a nationally known transportation analyst and adviser. With both an aging and a fast-growing population in the state, policymakers must begin to think creatively, take real action and closely assess results, warns the author.

This study describes the contribution of the agriculture and forestry industries to Virginia’s
economy. The study relies on both published and unpublished data as well as literature that
address trends in the agriculture and forestry industries. It makes use of input-output analysis
to identify agriculture and forestry backward and forward linkages to other industries and institutions.

This News Letter article by Terrance Rephann, an economist with UVA's Cooper Center, summarizes the results of a comprehensive study he recently completed under contract for the Office of the Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry. The new study, which uses regional input-output analysis, shows that the economic impacts of agriculture and forestry are far larger than commodity sales alone.

This article by economist William Shobe with UVA's Cooper Center explores how the functions of the modern research university contribute to civic and economic well-being. It considers what the evidence tells us about the value to the state of public support for major research universities.

Any significant shift of freight and passenger traffic from highways back to railways will require a major shift in public transportation policy at all levels of government, according to former railroad executive, Richard L.