George
Mason University
School
of Public Policy
PUBP
810: THEORY AND METHODS IN REGIONAL
DEVELOPMENT POLICY
Monday
4:30-7:10
Office Hours: By Appointment
Sfuller2@gmu.edu;
slall1@worldbank.org
PURPOSE
This seminar is the first core course for students in the regional development policy track in the Ph.D. program in Public Policy. It is designed for advanced graduate students from a variety of backgrounds. The primary intent of the course is to bring students to a professional familiarity with the theories, concepts and models of regional economic growth and development. The course emphasizes the theories and experience underlying the practice and policies of regional economic development and includes cases that illustrate the lessons of government programs to restructure regional economies. This course also establishes the knowledge base required for PUBP 811.
FORMAT AND GRADING
Weekly class meetings will be conducted in a combination lecture and discussion format. Students’ success with the course material will be judged via (1) grades on two short assignments; (2) a research paper; (3) a final examination.
Letter grades will be assigned at the end of the semester based on the grades earned from specific assignments. The apportioned values of these assignments are shown below. Letter grades are not assigned competitively (i.e., no strict curve).
Short Assignments 20
percent
Definitions
Assigned—8/27 Due—9/9
Critique
Assigned—9/30 Due—10/15
Research Paper
35
percent
Assigned—9/16 Due—11/25
Class Participation
10
percent
Final Exam
35 percent
TOTAL
100
percent
Text:
Regional development Theories and Their Application
, Benjamin Higgins and Donald J. Savoie, 1995.
Tex to be supplemented by weekly handouts.
COURSE SCHEDULE
AND READINGS
8/26
Introduction to Course—Review
of basic terms and concepts
9/9
Introduction to Regional Development Theory
Higgins, Introduction, pp.3-17.
Kindleberger, C. (1965) Chapters 1 and 2 in Economic
Development, 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill, pp. 3-39.
Hoover, E. (1975) “How Regions Develop,” in An
Introduction to Regional Economics, 2nd Edition, Alfred A. Knopff,
pp. 207-243.
9/16
Regional Analysis
Nelson, A. (1993) “Theories of Regional
Development” in Theories of Local Economic Development, R. Bingham and
R. Mier, eds., Sage, pp. 27-79.
Other Reading To Be Assigned (TBA).
9/23
Regional Development Context
Higgins,
Chapters 2 and 3, pp.19-54.
Hoover, E. (1975) “How Regions Develop,” in An
Introduction to Regional Economics, 2nd Edition, Alfred A. Knopff,
pp. 214-244.
Others TBA
9/30
Theories of Regional Economic Development
Higgins, Chapter 4
Richardson, H. (1978) Chapter 4 in Regional
Economics, University of Illinois, pp. 82-101.
Tiebout, C. (1956) “Exports and Regional Economic Growth” Reprinted from Journal of Political Economy 64 (2): 160-169.
Hirschman, Albert, The Strategy of Economic
Development, Chapter 10. pp. 183-201
Others TBA
10/7
Growth Poles and Growth Centers
Higgins,
Chapters 5 and 6, pp. 73-113.
Richardson, H. (1978) Chapter 7 in Regional Economics, University of Illinois Press, pp. 164-178.
Hansen, N. (1975) “Criteria for Growth Centre Policy” in Regional Policy: Readings in Theory and Applications, MIT Press, pp.566-587.
Alonso, W. (1975) “Industrial Location and Regional
Policy in Economic Development” in Regional
Policy: Readings in Theory and Applications, J. Friedmann and W. Alonso
eds.,MIT Press, pp.3-30.
10/14
No Class—Columbus Day
10/15
Producer Services and Regional Development
Higgins, Chapters 11, pp. 167-181.
Hansen, Niles. 1994. “The Strategic Role of
Producer Service In Regional Development,” International
Regional Science Review, 16, 187-195.
Glasmeier, A. and Howland, M. 1994. “Service-Led
Rural Development: Definitions, Theories, and Empirical Evidence,” International
Regional Science Review, 16, 197-229.
Others TBA
10/21
Central Place Theory
Higgins, Chapter 6, pp. 89-113.
King, L. (1984) Central
Place Theory, Scientific Geography Series, Vol. 1, Grant Ian Thrall, ed.
Sage Publications.
De Sousa, A. and F. Stutz (1994) “Cities as Retail
and Service Centers,” Chapter 9 in The
World Economy, Prentice Hall, pp. 361-406.
Getis, A. and J. Getis (1970) “Christaller’s
Central Place Theory,” in Economic
Geography: Selected Readings, F. Dohrs and L. Sommers, eds., Thomas Y.
Crowell, Inc.
Losch, A. (1938) “The Nature of Economic
Regions,” Southern Economic Journal,
Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 71-78.
Richardson, H.(1979) “Location,” in Regional
Economics, University of Illinois Press, pp. 53-81.
Blair, J. and R. Premus (1993) “Location Theory”
in Theories of Local Economic Development,
R. Bingham and R. Mier eds., Sage Publications, pp. 3-26.
10/28
Other Theoretical Foundations
Higgins,
Chapters 8, 9, and 10, pp. 123-166.
Others TBA
11/4
Development Strategies
Friedman, John (1966), Regional Development Policy,
pp. 5-38.
Others TBA
11/11
Regional Development Policies and Programs During the Thirties
Higgins, Chapter 12, pp. 187-204
Gordon Clapp, The
TVA: An Approach to the Development of Region. Chapters I and IV.
John R Moore, ed., The Economic Impact of TVA, Chapter 3, pp. 42-55; Chapter 6, pp.
108-120; Chapter 8, pp. 146-160.
R.C. Martin, ed., TVA: The First
Twenty Years, Chapter 14, pp.219-231.
11/18
The Appalachian Experiment
Higgins,
Chapter 13, pp. 205-228
A.R.C., “The New Appalachian Subregions and their
Development Strategies,” Journal of the
ARC, August-September 1974, pp. 11-27.
S. Fuller, “Appalachia: A Dynamic and Multifaceted
Region.”
S. Fuller, “Pikeville, Kentucky: Redevelopment of
an Urban Center in Rural Appalachia – A Case Study.”
11/25
Regional Development in Developing and Emerging Countries
Higgins,
Chapters 17, 18, & 19, pp. 289-379
S. Fuller, “Restructuring a Single-Sector Centrally
Planned Economy: Lessons from Daqing, China,” September 1994.
S. Fuller, “The Plan for the Restructuring of
Daqing’s Economy,” Daqing, China, 1994. Review.
Others TBA
Research
Paper Due 11/25
Take
Home Exam Assigned in Class 11/25
12/2
Semester Review and Discussion of Papers
12/16
Take-Home Final Exam Due