Stagnant wages, lack of opportunities and constant decay of certain region in the last decades brought a huge wave of political backlash that pushes policymakers to deliver growth solutions to those who feel left behind. At such times, the research of regional economics becomes ever more important. Most studies provide insights into mathematical patterns of scaling of physicality, the concentration of specific industries or the trends in particular regions. Few studies test multiple different variables altogether and very few look at the transferability of the findings to other regions and to other time periods. This thesis explores the relevance of historical and recent predictors and tries to provide a comprehensive analysis on recent trends in the growth of U.S. productivity to fill the critical gap of recent developments while controlling for some historical characteristics.
The author has given permission for this work to be deposited in the Digital Archive of Colorado College.
Colorado College Honor Code upheld.
Includes bibliographical references.
The author has given permission for this work to be deposited in the Digital Archive of Colorado College.
Colorado College Honor Code upheld.