Do Universities Improve Local Economic Resilience?

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Howard, Greg; Weinstein, Russell; Yang, Yuhao
• 署名单位: University of Illinois System; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Southwestern University of Finance & Economics - China
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0034-6535
• DOI: 10.1162/rest_a_01212
• 发表日期: 2024-07
• 页码: 1129-1145
• 关键词: higher-education; PRODUCTIVITY; institutions; POLICY

摘要

We use a novel identification strategy to investigate whether regional universities make their local economies more resilient. Our strategy is based on state governments using similar site-selection criteria to assign normal schools (to train teachers) and insane asylums between 1830 and 1930. Normal schools became larger regional universities while asylum properties mostly continue as small state-owned psychiatric health facilities. We find that a regional university roughly offsets the negative effects of manufacturing exposure. We show the resilience of regional public university spending is an important mechanism, and we show correlations consistent with bachelor's degree share also playing a mediating role.