Date Thesis Awarded
5-2018
Access Type
Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only
Degree Name
Bachelors of Arts (BA)
Department
Economics
Advisor
John Parman
Committee Members
John McGlennon
Peter McHenry
Abstract
This study examines whether universities in mid-sized “Rust Belt” cities can help drive local economic growth by directly supporting growth in local high-technology industry. This study is inspired by the hypothesis of van Agtmael and Bakker (2016) that high-technology industry can generate significant levels of economic growth that revitalized Rust Belt communities. This study shows that some university outputs, like undergraduate students in STEM fields and R&D expenditures in STEM fields benefit a Rust Belt city’s high-technology industry sector and overall economy. However, these results are stronger in the mid-sized Rust Belt cities of the Midwest rather than those of New England.
Recommended Citation
O'Gara, Robert, "The importance of STEM: How Rust Belt universities can drive economic growth by supporting high-technology industry" (2018). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 1165.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/1165
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
